Allan McNish is impressed by Fernando Alonso's drive since his return to Formula 1, which he has compared to that of a 21-year-old. After some initial struggles at the beginning of the season, Alonso seems to have found his form in recent races and looked particularly impressive at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Spaniard managed to keep the chasing Lewis Hamilton behind him for several laps, allowing Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon to maintain his lead and secure his first win in F1. Former driver McNish has praised 40-year-old Alonso's energy and passion for the sport. "The thing that I just saw with Alonso [in Hungary] was the fire, that energy," McNish told the F1 Nation podcast. "It was 18 years ago, in Hungary, when he won his first ever Grand Prix. I think we were all there. "And to see that energy, fire and drive [now] is blooming impressive. Because when you've been in the game for a long time, especially at a high level, that kind of goes off. It goes out of your system a little bit, but it certainly hasn't for him. "He's still out there swinging like he's 21-years-old." McNish has also been impressed by how Alonso has worked on his tactics throughout the season. "I don't think you forget your tactics, I think you forget the subtleties of it," the Scotsman explained. "Speaking to him afterwards, he said that was the thing that he struggled with at the beginning of the season, just the finesse of being able to deliver them. "The theory, the strategy, like he did at the first corner [in Hungary] when he made a small mistake. He backed up Lewis so that Lewis couldn't get a real run on him. "That's stuff that's just inside, and clearly inside him. But what I was impressed with was his overview very early on about how his race was going to impact on Ocon, and how, in my view, he won the race for Ocon."
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