Alonso: 'F1 didn't offer what other series offered at the time'

Fernando Alonso returns to Formula 1 after two years and the 39-year-old driver will be the second oldest driver on the grid next season after Kimi Raikkonen. However, the Spaniard still feels young and sharp enough to compete.

Triple Crown goal

Alonso has not been idle in recent years. He won the World Endurance Championship, the 24 hours of Le Mans with Toyota twice, and the 24 hours of Daytona, as well driving the Dakar Rally and the Indianapolis 500. In a WTF1 podcast, Alonso spoke about his departure from Formula One. "I had other things on my mind, and my head was busy with IndyCar and the 'Triple Crown' goal," he said. For the latter, only the win in the Indianapolis 500 is still missing.

It was soon clear to Alonso that he wanted to broaden his horizons and look outside of Formula One. "I had too many things in my head that were not F1 related. F1 was not attractive to me at that time, it didn't offer what other series offered at that time. So I thought 'look, it's better to stop here, I don't know if I'll come back in 2021 with the new regulations or not, so let's say this is my last race'."

Appeal of Formula One

Nevertheless, Alonso could not resist the lure of Formula One and he will return with the Alpine F1 Team in 2021. "After completing some of those challenges, missing only the Indy500, I thought this was the right time to come back, even with the new regulations in 2022."

In any case, Alonso believes he can still perform at the highest level. "I feel good, I feel young, I feel sharp, so let's try again."