Fernando Alonso has declared that he feels "very proud" of his F1 comeback after getting back to "100 per cent" in his second season with Alpine. Alonso returned to F1 in 2021 following a two-year break, reuniting with former team Renault under their new guise of Alpine – the French manufacturer's niche sports car brand. Having hit a "decent" level in that first season, which included a return to the podium in Qatar, Alonso feels he is back to his best as he can now "put in some performances that maybe are not expected", which "has been always my strength".
Alonso: I'm trying to be a better version of myself
Despite a sequence of unfortunate events that have scuppered his eye-catching efforts in several qualifying sessions and races , Alonso offered up a positive personal report card at the halfway point of the 2022 campaign. "I miss winning and I miss the feeling of fighting for podiums and bigger things," Alonso began, speaking to media, including RacingNews365.com . "But at the same time, I'm enjoying [it], also because it's a race against yourself. In a way, I'm trying to be a better version of myself and what it was in 2018. "I think last year, I was performing at a decent level, 'okay', but not at my 100 per cent, I will say, and this year I feel at my 100 per cent. "This year I feel that I can put in some performances that maybe are not expected, and that kind of thing has been always my strength all over my career, and I feel that I'm back to that level. "That probably makes me very proud of this comeback."
Alonso on the challenge of 2022's rules reset
Alonso added that, as Alpine attempt to close the gap to the front of the F1 pack, he is enjoying the challenge of the sport's all-new cars. "All of us, we have to adapt to these cars," Alonso commented. "I have to say that probably the biggest challenge we face, or the most fun thing of these cars, is that the faster you go, the more grip you have, thanks to the ground effect. "Places like Silverstone or Austria, the faster you are, it seems easier to drive the car, and that's an amazing adrenaline when driving." Alonso holds 10th in the Drivers' standings, two places and 23 points behind teammate Esteban Ocon, while Alpine are tied with McLaren for fourth position in the Constructors' battle.
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