Alonso sees chance to leave F1 and return on own terms as a 'great luxury'

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13:08, 09 Jan 2022

Fernando Alonso made his comeback in 2021, and the now 40-year-old Spaniard appears to still have it in him. He calls it a "luxury" to be able to leave on his own terms and return to Formula One.

The two-time world champion returned to the premier class of motorsports last year, after spending two seasons immersed in other racing classes. For example, he competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the Dakar Rally.

Alonso made successful F1 comeback

His comeback proved to be a success. Alonso managed to score a podium and played an important role in teammate Esteban Ocon's surprising victory in Hungary. He realised that it is not self-evident that a driver can return whenever he wants, and therefore sees this opportunity as a 'great luxury'. He indicated this in conversation with Autosport.com.

He acknowledgesdthat only a small number of drivers get the chance in Formula 1 and he therefore considers himself lucky to have had that opportunity twice. He also says he enjoyed his comeback season, which he feels went better than he expected. By continuously improving, Alonso thinks he is as well prepared as possible for the 2022 season.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	219
2	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	169
3	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	160
4	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	138
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	128
6	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	109
7	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	92
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	68
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	43
10	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	42
11	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	23
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	19
13	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
14	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	10
15	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
16	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
17	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
18	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	2
19	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
20	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0
21	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
22	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0

Alonso sees chance to leave F1 and return on own terms as a 'great luxury'

Alonso made successful F1 comeback

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