Fernando Alonso says he quit Formula 1 almost three years ago because he felt he was “wasting my time” in the category.
After a two-year sabbatical, including adventures at Le Mans, the Indy 500 and the Dakar Rally, the two-time F1 champion is now back on the grid.
However, at the age of 39, the Spaniard is struggling to get back up to speed. He’s scored just five points in five races, finishing eighth in Portugal and 10th in Italy. He goes into the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 13th place in the drivers’ standings, and he’s even three places in the standings behind Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon.
“I’m not worried about the performance,” Alonso said this week at Baku. “I’m happier than I expected to be and really enjoying every single weekend. When there isn’t a race, I miss it.”
Alonso says he is “happy with Sundays, not with Saturdays” so far in 2021, in which he is driving for Renault’s works team for the third time in his career. But the Alpine driver says he needed a two-year break in 2019 and 2020.
“It was necessary to stop,” said Alonso. “I had been racing in Formula 1 for 18 seasons in a row without stopping, and staying fully dedicated had become too difficult. Besides, I had other challenges to do – I needed to do them.”
“I was even feeling like I was wasting my time in Formula 1, but now I have come back happier. Now I am free to have fun every weekend.”
Also struggling so far in 2021 is Daniel Ricciardo, who in his fifth race for McLaren two weeks ago was even lapped by his far less experienced teammate Lando Norris. Ricciardo is eighth place in the season standings, while Norris is shining in third place.
“I am sure I can get back where I should be. The championship is a marathon, not a sprint,” Ricciardo is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Ups and downs are just part of our profession.
“It’s a bit frustrating to race for tenth place, but the important thing for those who criticize is to remember that before we are professional drivers, we are still men.”