Car Vrum

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has a difficult start to the season at Alpine. In only two of the five races in 2021 he managed to qualify in the top ten and during the races he cannot keep up with teammate Ocon. Did those two seasons of absence take their toll after all?

The Spaniard admits that his comeback is more difficult than he thought, but he still enjoys racing an F1 car.

“I honestly think the amount of fun and excitement is probably higher than what I expected,” Alonso told RACER. “I really enjoy every lap I am on the track.”

“I enjoy the preparation and I enjoy the meetings about the adjustment of the car. Things that used to be the worst part of the weekend. ”

“Now I even enjoy that, not only the time on the track, but also the time outside I enjoy more than in the past.”

“So I’m surprised because you can’t plan what you’ll feel when you come back.”

“Then about the driving and the results… Maybe I found it a bit more difficult than I probably expected,” he admits. “It’s not that I took it for granted that the results would come naturally.”

“I knew the preparation was needed and the hours in the simulator and the 2018 tests in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi were needed, so I anticipated that. But I’m still struggling to maximize the potential in the car. ”

But Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon also had a difficult first season with the team from Enstone before the results improved.

“I think it also has something to do with the Renault / Alpine philosophy,” explained Alonso. “Most riders who came here had a hard time in their first year.

“So there is something, we think we have some idea what causes it, but it might take longer than when I signed last year to come back.”

“I thought I would be at 100% in three or four races, and now I think it will be eight or nine races.”

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