Alonso: "It's the end of 17 long & happy years in Formula 1"

McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is preparing for the final race of his 17-year Formula 1 career as the F1 travels to Abu Dhabi this weekend, and the two-time champion admitted that it will be a "very emotional" race for him.

Alonso will definitely go down as one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, even though he's 'only' won two championships. His exceptional racecraft has seen him put in some absolutely classic performances, but his poor choice of teams has seen him have a pretty steep fall from grace. His frustrations grew ever larger during his second stint at McLaren since 2015, where he was often stuck at the back of the grid as the car lacked everything from power to reliability to downforce.

This summer, the 37-year-old announced his retirement from F1, although he now has revealed that he hasn't ruled out a potential return in the future.

“Abu Dhabi will certainly be very emotional race for me, as it will be the end of a long and happy 17 years in Formula 1," Alonso told McLaren's website.

There are very exciting things ahead, and I’m enthusiastic for what the future will bring. For now, I’m not ruling anything out," he ended with a wink.