Alonso buzzing for Sochi return

Fernando Alonso will be driving his last race on the famous Sochi track this weekend in Formula One. And the Spaniard is buzzing for the opportunity following last season's disappointment of missing out due to engine reliability issues.

Alonso is retiring at the end of the season, leaving his tremendous F1 legacy behind and this will be the Spanish veteran's last chance to impress at Sochi.

The McLaren driver has only raced on the Russian track on three occassions, but he is determined to get back on the track after last season's disappointing exclusion from the race.

"It feels like a long time since we raced in Russia as the race was much earlier on the calendar last year," Alonso told Formula One's official website. "It also feels longer for me since I didn't make the start due to reliability issues, so I'm looking forward to finally racing in Sochi again."

Alonso, last time out, in Singapore - achieved P7 on the grid... which proved to be a rare positive for Alonso and McLaren this season.

"Last weekend was definitely a boost for everyone," Alonso added. "We have at least one DNF over the last few races, so crossing the line with both cars was positive, and something we need to keep working on every race. It was great to get points too, and the aim is always to keep scoring at every possible opportunity.

"We know some of the coming races won't be as favourable to us as Singapore (was), and there will be tracks that won't suit our car as much. With every race we're pushing hard, learning a lot and trying to maximise what we have. Sochi is a fun circuit with a very interesting and unique layout with its 90-degree corners, so let's see how our car performs there."