Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 Retirement Stint
Two-time F1 Drivers' World Champion, Fernando Alonso, had tremendous success in other forms of Motorsport during his temporary retirement.
Alpine driver Fernando Alonso started his Formula One campaign in 2001 with Minardi Racing, and at the age of 37, after two Drivers’ World Championships in 2005 and 2006, he decided to step away from F1. The Spaniard had struggled in his final years at McLaren because the car was not competitive, but he had no intention of leaving motorsport.
Alonso had his sights set on winning the triple crown, which is when a driver wins the Monaco GP, 24 Heures du Mans, and the Indy 500.
He had already won the Monaco GP with Renault in 2006, and then again with McLaren in 2007.
The same year he retired from F1, in 2018, Alonso won Le Mans with Toyota Gazoo Racing driving alongside Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima. The trio did it again in 2019. He also won back-to-back FIA World Endurance Championships in 2018 and 2019.
The stars were then aligned, as it were, for Alonso to complete the triple crown by winning the Indianapolis 500. He tried in 2017, 2019, and 2020 to no avail. There has been speculation that the Oval track does not suit Alonso’s skillset or preferences.
Alonso himself has expressed doubts in a 2021 interview with Autosport, saying, “if I do it again it's going to be for a dream of the triple crown or try to achieve the win. It's not that you do that type of race just for fun. But I don't know if I will do it again or not.”
Lucky for us all, Fernando Alonso is back in Formula 1 for a second season since his return. After a rocky start to the season with a points finish in Bahrain, a reliability issue in Jeddah, misfortune in Melbourne, and first lap damage in Imola, the Alpine driver finished just outside of the points in Miami.
He was in good spirit after the race in Miami, in his post-race interview he said, “We have to target points every weekend from now on. I think we have the pace, we have the car, we have everything to do it, so let’s start here in Miami, and Barcelona next.”
The 40-year-old had quite the productive sabbatical, and in his return to F1, he lifted Alpine to 5th in the 2021 Constructors Championship, he also had the second most overtakes that season.
I will be looking out for the veteran driver this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. Hopefully, he can stay out of trouble, work with teammate Ocon, and use his experience and Spanish DNA to score some big points for Alpine.