Alonso and Alpine, two years of thwarted hopes

At the time of the comeback of Fernando Alonso in the French stable, in the summer of 2020, we wondered in our columns if the return of the prodigal son was " For the best or for the worst ? » (AH n°2269) Two years later, the Matador's departure for other skies was made official. Did his passage live up to the hopes placed in him?

Alonso 2021: heroic in Hungary, podium in Qatar

The comeback of the Asturian raised just as many questions, as there were so many gray areas at the time. As he approaches his forties and after two years away from Formula 1, during which he took to the air IndyCar, at the Dakar and in the world endurance championship, did the double Spanish world champion still have the level for the premier discipline of motorsport? A question which arose all the more as he returned as the symbol of the rediscovered ambitions of a team still known under the name Renault, on the cusp of new regulations synonymous with all hopes. It is finally under the new colors ofAlpine that the Spaniard returned to the grids of the Formula 1 world championship.

After a first race in Bahrain where he was forced to retire due to a brake problem, Nando regained the points in the following two events, in Emilia-Romagna and Portugal. It was especially at the Hungarian Grand Prix where Alonso once again displayed all his talent by contributing greatly to the victory of his teammate Esteban Ocon. While the Frenchman inherited control of the event after a chaotic start, the Spaniard put up an iron defense against the rise of Lewis Hamilton to protect the Habs.

Alpine won with a French driver, freshly extended for three seasons, and the veteran proved if he needed to that he was still at the best level for Formula 1. The time was then for big hugs between everyone and the idyll then seemed brilliant between each part. It was confirmed a few weeks later, during the Qatar Grand Prix with the return of the Bull of Asturias on a Formula 1 podium for the first time since Hungary in 2014 (and 146 races), while he was playing under the colors of Ferrari.

Alonso 2022: brilliant in qualifying, frustrated in the race

The entry into force of the new regulations in 2022 and a fruitful collaboration the previous year were sources of all hopes for this new era of F1. The speedy Spaniard continued to show his successes, but these were each time destroyed by reliability problems on his car. While he was applying for a first row in Australia, a hydraulic failure sent him into the wall in the final turns when he had just set the second sector record. “The hydraulics failed, testified the veteran. As I entered the corner, I could no longer downshift. The steering suddenly became very heavy. I don't know if we could have aimed for pole position but this lap was enough to be in the top 3. In addition, we still had two sets of new tires, we had saved them in Q1 then in Q2 in order to use them in Q3. It's so frustrating! »

The front row finally smiled on him in Canada, where Fernando Alonso used his magic to hoist his A522 into second position on the starting grid. However, the car's engine could not keep up with the pace of its driver during the race, who was also the victim of a penalty at the end of the race to fall to a disappointing ninth place. A performance in qualifying which turned out to be the latest coup before the surprise announcement of his departure for Aston Martin. This coming the day after a new race in Hungary where Esteban Ocon's defenses on his own teammate clashed with the dedication of the Spaniard a year earlier on the Magyar track. “ I was very surprised by this defense “, he admitted.

Warning signs of a divorce already pronounced between the two parties? If there is half a season left to conclude the story in style, this surprise announcement of a departure from Aston Martin currently leaves a taste of unfinished business.

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