Alonso not ruling out F1 return after 2018

Fernando Alonso hasn't ruled out a sensational return to Formula One in the future. The Spaniard announced he would not continue in F1 after the conclusion of the 2018 season but didn't confirm that he would step away forever.

Alonso looks set to drive in IndyCar as he chases motorsport's Triple Crown: a Monaco Grand Prix victory, Le Mans win and a race win at the Indy500. Having the first two on the list checked off already, it makes sense that Alonso would find himself competing in a full season of IndyCar in 2019.

The enigmatic McLaren driver didn't rule out a comeback in F1 in the future however, something that his rivals from earlier in his career also did, with Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen making returns to the sport after their supposed retirement from F1.

"I think the door is open (to an F1 return) because I think I am driving at the best level of my career now," he said during a press conference ahead of the 6 Hours of Silverstone.

"Why close doors...anything could happen in the future?

“I am still young. I am not 45 years old. I feel strong and I am doing this year 27 races."

Alonso went on to explain that a lack of action was one of the deciding factors in his decision, having trailed the leading teams for several years in an uncompetitive McLaren team.

"The action on track is not the one I dreamed of when I joined F1, or when I was in different series, or the action on track that I experienced in other years.

"I stopped because the action on track in my opinion I feel is very poor. In fact, what we talk about more in F1, is off track. We talk about polemics. We talk about radio messages. We talk about all these things, and when we talk so many times about those things, it is a bad sign."