Fernando Alonso insists he remains "grateful" to Alpine, despite feeling "frustration" over elements of his second year with the team. Alonso made his comeback to F1 with the French manufacturer in 2021, having pursued other categories of motorsport for the two years prior following his departure from McLaren at the end of 2018. The two-time World Champion outscored teammate Esteban Ocon during his first season with the squad, but finished behind the Frenchman in 2022. Alonso has been vocal about the reliability problems he experienced throughout the campaign, as well as criticising Ocon after they made contact during the Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint race. Meanwhile, the Spaniard's announcement of his move to Aston Martin for 2023 seemed to take Alpine by surprise, leading to a much-publicised contract controversy over the services of Oscar Piastri. Despite all of this, Alonso has suggested that he will look back on his time with the team fondly.
Alonso remains 'grateful' to Alpine
With Alpine formerly being known as Renault – the team with which Alonso won his two World Championships in 2005 and 2006 – the 41-year-old has lots of good memories with the outfit. "The frustration of [another DNF in Abu Dhabi] is there, and [there is] nothing I can do," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.com . "But I'm very grateful, and I will always think [of] Alpine or Renault with good memories. "We won the two championships, I spent nine years of my life in Formula 1 [with them], so I will be thankful always and wishing them the best of luck next year."
Alonso won't compare Alpine and McLaren issues
Alonso previously experienced reliability issues during his time with McLaren, with the team struggling in their relationship with Honda. However, he admits that the feelings he felt then are different to those at Alpine due to their different places in the pecking order at each time. "I think we've been more competitive this year," Alonso explained. "So when we finished the race it was more enjoyable than [with the] McLaren Honda, [where] we were always out of the points, so I will not compare."
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