Alonso: ‘Good sign’ Enstone has changed a lot since last F1 stint
Fernando Alonso says the Alpine Formula 1 squad at Enstone feels like a “very different” team to when he last raced there with Renault, calling it a “good sign”.
Alonso will make his F1 comeback at this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, returning to the grid after spending the last two seasons racing in IndyCar, the World Endurance Championship and the Dakar Rally.
The two-time F1 world champion is beginning his third stint with the Enstone-based operation, having raced for Renault between 2003-2006 and 2008-2009.
Asked how much had changed at Enstone since he last raced for Renault in 2009, Alonso said the differences were extremely noticeable, particularly with the infrastructure at the team’s headquarters.
“They are very different, and that's a good sign,” Alonso said.
“After 10 years, if they were all the same, maybe that would not be good news for us.
“I think the factory has been updated quite heavily. There are more people working now, in Viry in France, also the factory has been updated and I think the level of technology that we have right now compared to 15 years ago is very different.
“I'm very happy with the things that I saw from last year. Visiting both Enstone and Viry. We have very talented people in the team. We have great designers and technicians.
“Some of the mechanics, they are still same from my last time, so that's also a good touch of the old days as well, and a good atmosphere that we all want to repeat the success we had in the past.
“But we have new people, very good spirit, very young talented people, so we are quite a nice organisation now. So hopefully we can deliver.”
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Alonso made his most recent grand prix start at the end of 2018 with McLaren, after which he opted to move into other interests in racing and pursue the triple crown of motorsport.
But the Spaniard has no concerns about the challenges he faces getting back up to speed in F1, knowing he is unlikely to add to his tally of race wins or titles in 2021 given Alpine’s position in the pecking order.
“I don't fear any particular challenge,” Alonso said.
“How the midfield is right now, it is very competitive. So it's something that we are aware of, that we need to maximise and we need to be perfect every weekend if we want to score good points.
“Then another challenge but not only for me, but for everybody in the team and everybody in the paddock, will be the 23 races. We have to be just aware of that number as well, and try to save energy when you can during the year.
“Even in June, August, September, even if you feel fresh, the more you save, the better you will be in November and December.
“So there are a couple of things that after being out for two years, I will have to relearn a little bit and get used to. But in terms of driving or in terms of approaching the weekend working with a team, I think it should be quite smooth.
“I was not at home for two years. I was racing every weekend, basically. So it should be fine.”
Related video
How McLaren is going back to the future with Mercedes
How Japan's first full-time F1 racer accelerated Tsunoda's rise
Castroneves: “Too early” to think about potential replacement by Blomqvist
Four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves says it’s too soon to consider Meyer Shank Racing might want to swap him to the IMSA squad and bring Tom Blomqvist over to IndyCar.
Why some DTM teams take out crash insurance but others gamble
The 2022 DTM season featured several major pile-ups and accidents, costing teams several hundred thousands in repair costs. While some had insured cars against such damage, others weren’t so well prepared…
Ricciardo: Australian GP buzz will tell me a lot about F1 comeback
Red Bull third driver Daniel Ricciardo says attending his home grand prix in Melbourne will likely tell him whether he wants to make a full-time comeback to Formula 1 or not.
Kirkwood admits he overdrove as an IndyCar rookie
Kyle Kirkwood admits he was overdriving at AJ Foyt Racing in 2022 and is expecting to rebuild his reputation at Andretti Autosport.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.