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“I Would Be More Selfish” – Fernando Alonso Reveals His Mistakes During First McLaren F1 Era

Published 10/16/2021, 1:58 PM EDT

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It’s easy to forget that the 2021 season is Alonso’s return to the sport. It’s like he never left. Fernando Alonso has returned to the team with which he won his championships- the relabeled Alpine team. Now, looking back at his glory days, Alonso mentioned one regret of his bumpy time at McLaren in the 2007 season.

The double champion had an incredible run with Renault. The double championship in 2005 and 2006 also gave the 28th F1 champion his title of being the youngest champion in his time. After achieving the milestone at Renault, Alonso moved to McLaren, looking for a new challenge.

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At McLaren, however, he had a very fractious relationship with the rising rookie, Lewis Hamilton. The team could have potentially dominated the grid; both drivers were immensely powerful individually. However, the cold war at McLaren saw Alonso return to Renault; the team he knew and loved.

Looking back, Alonso named the one thing he would change: his sympathetic attitude. “I would be more selfish today. I was too naive. I believed too much in justice, too much in fairness- I was too good to people. In the end, I was alone in the team because everyone else was thinking only of themselves.”

Fernando Alonso has a lot ahead of him

Despite the ‘feud’ with Hamilton, Alonso always said that Lewis wasn’t the problem. Instead, Alonso believes it was the management at McLaren that was responsible.

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El Matador had said there was no transparency at the team. This fueled the psychological battle between the two drivers. As a result, Alonso had to leave his new team and go back to Renault. However, the car wasn’t as competitive as it once was.

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After multiple team changes, his two-year hiatus, and a long time in the sport, Fernando Alonso is back on the F1 grid. The master overtaker is just as brilliant as always. As he starts his new journey with Alpine and will be an important part of the team next season, the 2022 season will be an exciting one for Alonso.

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Now, Alonso has the rest of his comeback season ahead of him. Although he has out-qualified his teammate multiple times, Alonso’s battle for points isn’t over yet. Additionally, everyone waits with bated breath to the Lion step up on the rostrum before the season ends.

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Written by:

Shreya Sanjeev

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Shreya Sanjeev is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. Having attained a journalism degree from St Xavier's College, she finds comfort in the sound of her keyboard while typing and excitement in the sound of F1 cars speeding on a track. A street circuit and Daniel Ricciardo fan through and through, Shreya claims the 2018 Monaco GP to be one of her favorite races of all time.
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