Keeping Money Chaser Allegations Aside, Fernando Alonso Throws the Gauntlet to Dramatize His F1 Comeback Story

When it comes to talent, there aren’t many that come close to Fernando Alonso in F1. Yet, when it comes to the championship count, the Spaniard has just two under his belt. That is not to say it is not a mean feat. But ask any F1 expert and they would tell you he is worth a lot more than that. A former F1 team manager recently alleged that the reason behind it is his career choices. Choices that he allowed to get influenced by money. The man from Oviedo seems to be on a mission now. Not just to be at the top again, but also to shed the money-chaser image he had developed over time.

Alonso boasts of the longest-ever career in F1. In that career, he has jumped ship several times, often going back to the same teams he once ditched. Despite spending years with Ferrari and coming close to the championship win a couple of times, he switched to McLaren in 2015. That deal was reportedly worth $37 million. That is exactly what Eddie Jordan believes is responsible for ruining his career, which according to him, should have been worth a lot more. Fernando, however, begs to differ.

Fernando Alonso reveals why it is important for him to continue and win the championship

When Alonso decided to move from Alpine to Aston Martin, many experts raised questions about his reasoning. As it turns out, results have proved the doubters wrong, and the Asturian is back on the podium consistently. But that is not where he wants to stop. The ultimate goal is to lift the season winner’s trophy once again and there’s a bigger reason behind it.

Speaking with The New York Times, Alonso recently told, “When I retired, I was at a low point, and I didn’t want that because my performance, my competitiveness, was as high as ever then, but people didn’t see it.” [Translated using Google]

“Now I’m showing that I’m still fast, no matter how old I am, that’s part of the comeback story. Winning 33 or fighting for a championship would add even more drama to the story.”

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Alonso hit the ground running right from the moment he got on the tarmac with the AMR23. Landing a podium finish in his first Grand Prix with the team was a big highlight. Turns out, he was as surprised as anyone else.

Aston Martin’s instant success caught Alonso by surprise

Aston Martin faired exceptionally well at the testing prior to the season’s start in Bahrain. The Silverstone-based team left the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari behind on pace in certain sessions. However, many believed the Silver Arrows and the Prancing Horse were simply “sandbagging”. Once we got to the competitive action and the Spaniard overtook Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz to finish 3rd in the first race, all doubts were laid to rest.

Reacting to the team’s newfound success, Fernando said, “I trusted the project and I felt that it was a nice adventure for me at the end of my career, to start with a team that has so much desire and good prospects. But I thought it would take longer to reach a certain level, that maybe in 2024 we could fight for podiums. I didn’t expect the car to offer the performance we have now.”

Watch This Story: Does Fernando Alonso Believe He Can be a 3-time World Champion?

Despite all the heroics of the Red Bull boys, do you think Alonso can somehow extract a race win in 2023? Would make for a crazy story, won’t it?