F1 News
Alonso happy to be back in F1: "Enjoying the sport to the fullest"
- GPblog.com
After a difficult start to the season, which left some people questioning whether he was wise to leave the sport in the meantime, Fernando Alonso is now back showing on a weekly basis why he still belongs in F1. From his defence of Hamilton in Budapest to his thrilling start at Zandvoort, there's always something great to watch when the Spaniard steps into the car.
Looking ahead to Sochi
The fact that Alonso is doing well is evident from the statistics. In the last nine races, the former world champion has finished in the points eight times. Not a bad performance with an Alpine. And although teammate Esteban Ocon was laurelled in Hungary after his victory, Alonso played a crucial strategic role for his team in that race by, as mentioned earlier, holding up Lewis Hamilton for so long that he couldn't catch up with Ocon.
After a less than impressive weekend at Monza, a track that has not suited Renault engines for years, Alonso will be hoping to do better in Russia. In particular, qualifying will have to improve at the Sochi circuit: " I've raced in Sochi five times so far and I'm looking forward to coming back. I rarely had a good qualifying session there, but I remember making up a lot of places in a race," he said to Speedweek.com. The Asturian is referring to his race in Sochi in 2016, when he was still driving for McLaren Honda, and he managed to drive from 14th to 6th place.
Alonso enjoying himself
However the race goes for Alpine, Alonso is delighted with his return to the sport. "The season has been quite long, but I am thoroughly enjoying the sport. These cars are great to drive and the atmosphere in the team is very positive. We want to finish the season well and have high hopes for 2022, when we will participate with completely new cars."