After a rocky start to the season, Fernando Alonso seems to have found his feet in his return to F1. Although the Spaniard took a two-year hiatus after the 2018 season, his consistency in the last few races has been impeccable.

With the double world champion staying with Alpine next season, he will look to finish this season strongly. Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg compared his return with that of Michael Schumacher in 2010.

Rosberg admits the aspect which differentiates Alonso’s return from Schumacher’s

After several successful seasons with Ferrari, Schumacher retired from the sport in 2006. However, in an unprecedented move, the German returned to Mercedes in the 2010 season. Although he brought championship-winning experience to the team, he finished behind Rosberg in all three seasons he took part in.

During the Hungarian Grand Prix this year, Alonso showed incredible skill to hold Lewis Hamilton up. This helped his teammate Esteban Ocon secure his maiden race win, while the Spaniard scored an impressive P4 finish. He’s now showing the skills that make him one of the best drivers in the sport, as the season enters its business end.

In a recent appearance, Rosberg admitted Alonso’s ability to adapt after his return sets him apart from Schumacher. He said, “It’s such a pleasure because we know Fernando is one of the best ever. And it seems, especially in the racing, he’s back to his best.

“It’s so fun to watch. And I’ve been through it with Michael Schumacher, who came back as my team-mate when he was 41, and Michael struggled a little bit with adaptation. He just wasn’t as fresh anymore to adapt to new situations that were thrown at him. But Fernando seems to be really on it, so it’s fantastic.”

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Can Fernando Alonso continue his impressive run in Monza?

Alonso saw a six-race scoring streak end in the rain-interrupted Belgian Grand Prix. However, he scored an impressive sixth-place finish in the Dutch Grand Prix to restore the momentum he found before the summer break.

With the next race in Monza, the Spaniard looks in fine fettle as he seems to have found his comfort zone with Alpine. And with the team improving in recent races, Alonso will look to bring more points as the midfield battle intensifies.

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