‘What I Did Was the Best’ – Fernando Alonso Has No Regrets Over His Failed McLaren and Ferrari Stints

Fernando Alonso will undoubtedly bow out of the sport as one of F1’s all-time greats. The Spaniard was quite the force to reckon with during the 21st century, rightly bagging two world championships to his name.

However, the man who will suit up for Alpine this season has made some questionable career decisions which prevented him from adding to his championship tally. Nevertheless, Alonso isn’t a man filled with regret. He believes that every decision he made was right for his career and had a silver lining.

The Alpine driver said (translated by Google), “You will always want to change things after a certain point, but as soon as I made the decision I did things that I was 100 percent convinced, those decisions were never half. For me everything was clear, with every decision I made. I thought what I did was the best.”

Some of Alonso’s dubious decisions involved leaving McLaren a year before Lewis Hamilton won the championship with the team. He also declined a move to Red Bull before their years of domination began and also turned away from joining Brawn GP, which would subsequently become Mercedes.

However, Alonso isn’t looking back at what could have been. Instead, he provides us with examples of how his actual moves benefitted him.

Also Read: Fernando Alonso Eager To Show F1 “Teenagers” He’s Still Got It: Wolff

Fernando Alonso looks at the positives gained from his decisions

The Spaniard said, “For example, if I hadn’t continued at McLaren in 2008, 2008 would have been very difficult with terrible quality of work. If I hadn’t left McLaren at the end of 2007, I might have never raced with Ferrari, which is a very important experience for any driver.

“When I left Ferrari in 2014, I had a pretty bad season at McLaren with the Honda engine. It was hard to stay out of the podium battle, but then I joined the Indy 500 with McLaren. McLaren also allowed me to compete in the WEC, so I was two-time World Endurance Champion and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Most of the decisions did not have immediate positive results, but they all gave me other opportunities as a driver in the long run.

“I gained good memories from these experiences.”

Although he may not have got a chance to add to his two world titles, the Spaniard certainly had the chance to broaden his motorsporting expertise. And having won the prestigious Le Mans race and the WEC, he wouldn’t be regretting anything too much.

His sights will now be set on the 2021 season. Having recovered from a road accident, Alonso will be eager to show that he’s still the best around.