Is Alonso really getting back to his ‘2012’ F1 best?

OPINION: Fernando Alonso heads to Aston Martin having delivered a better campaign versus the first of his Alpine comeback, even if the results don’t reflect it. But after he discusses feeling close to the level of some of his most famous Formula 1 seasons before swapping blue for green, it’s worth assessing such claims simply because of their worth to F1.

"I'm ready to deliver something special from my side and I expect the same from them."

Never change, Fernando Alonso. Not that that’s likely from a 41-year-old Formula 1 mainstay still searching, relentlessly, for a third world title crown.

‘Relentless’. It’s surely the word most associated with Alonso – a character famous for his demanding nature, which extends to those around him and is already turned to Aston Martin. It combines with his intense desire for success and pure hatred for losing, something he says extends to his life off-track and using any slight circumstances change to win even a friendly tennis game. And he doesn’t hold back in his assessments, particularly of himself.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.