Alonso feels too much being made of early results of F1 drivers at new teams
Fernando Alonso suggests too much is being made of Formula 1 drivers at new teams struggling in 2021 and asks observers not to over analyse his early results with Alpine.


Alonso is making his F1 comeback with the former Renault squad, with which he won the 2005 and 2006 world titles, while four drivers that competed in 2020 – Sebastian Vettel, Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz Jr – switched teams over the off-season.
After the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, where Alonso said he “did not perform well”, there was much discussion about the performances and early results of the drivers that changed seats (and in Alonso’s case, series) – a challenge that has been made more difficult by the slashed testing time for 2021 and the season’s carryover car requirements.
Speaking to a select group of media ahead of this weekend’s Spanish GP, Alonso offered his thoughts on the subject.
“I'm still thinking the same – that I am at one point in my life where I feel good, and I feel capable of driving better than ever,” he said in response to Autosport’s question about comments he had made pre-season regarding his capabilities and contrasting that with his results in the opening two races of 2021.
“But, that doesn't mean that you don't find difficulties while entering a new adventure, or in this [case a] comeback.
“At the same time, I had one weekend where I was not totally comfortable – in Imola.
“And the problem is that in Formula 1 there is a lot of media, a lot of articles, and unfortunately two weeks between races, because if it was back-to-back from Imola to [Portimao], there [would have been] much less talk!
“And it was also a coincidence of not only me, [but a] few other drivers not being totally confident in Imola.
“Some of them, they changed team this year. And that was a coincidence that induced a lot of talk.
“But, overall, [I'm] not overthinking too much of this, not worried too much of this.”

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
When asked about the challenge of making an F1 comeback after two years away and if he was struggling in comparison to other champions that made successful attempts to win again in the championship history, Alonso firmly rebuffed the suggestion.
He said: “I don't tend to agree with this, and things are getting bigger than what it is.
“I was the first to admit that I was not 100% in Imola, and not comfortable, and probably underperforming.
“But it was one race, and one race that with that underperformance I finished two tenths of a second behind my team-mate!
“So, you know, it cannot be a big thing. At the end of the year, we talk.
“At the end of the year, if I underperform the whole season, and everything was more difficult than expected, ok, maybe there is a point to really discuss and go deep into the questions of why it is more difficult than the previously or something.
“But, in Bahrain, I was happy and probably overperforming, in Imola, under-performing.”
Read Also:
The interview with Alonso took place at the Portuguese GP, where Alonso recovered from a poor qualifying to score his second points finish of the season in eighth – putting in a series of overtakes to rise up the order late in the race.
He is currently 12th in the drivers’ standings, with Alpine fifth in the constructors’ championship.
The full interview with Alonso will be featured in the 20 May issue of Autosport magazine, which will be available in shops and to subscribe online here: https://www.autosportmedia.com.
Related video

How McLaren hopes to help F1 with its secret ballots call
Gasly expects normal service to resume for AlphaTauri in Spain

Latest news
Gasly: AlphaTauri has the “right tools” to recover F1 form
Pierre Gasly believes his AlphaTauri Formula 1 team has the “right tools” with which to solve its recent issues.
The consequences of Aston Martin’s radical F1 rear wing design
Formula 1’s 2022 technical regulations have been described as overly prescriptive as the rulemakers look to stifle specific developments in order that their overall goals are achieved – but here’s a plot twist.
Horner: "Timing is right" for Vettel's F1 retirement
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that his former driver Sebastian Vettel has chosen the right time to retire from Formula 1.
Zhou focused on Alfa Romeo stay in F1 2023 silly season
Zhou Guanyu says his focus lies with retaining his Formula 1 seat at Alfa Romeo for 2023 ahead of talks about his future after the summer break.
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last