Fernando Alonso praised for personal growth off-track: “He was a different person”
”He was a different person actually when he came back, he was much more relaxed and yeah, he’s just incredible.”
Sky Sports F1 pundit Natalie Pinkham has described Fernando Alonso as “incredible”, noting that the Spaniard returned to the sport as a “different person” following his sabbatical.
After four difficult seasons with McLaren between 2015 and 2018, Alonso took a break from the sport.
During his time, he competed in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota and competed at Daytona.
After two seasons out, he returned to F1 with Alpine, replacing Daniel Ricciardo, who decided to join McLaren.
Alonso is still on the F1 grid in 2025, which is set to be his 22nd season in the sport.
Speaking on The Red Flags podcast, Pinkham noted a clear change in Alonso following his return to the sport in 2021.
“He’s fantastic,” Pinkham said. “Actually, when he went away and then came back to the sport, he actually said to me and a number of my colleagues, you know what? I do understand now kind of what you’re doing.
“Because the last thing that we ever want to do is shove a microphone under someone’s nose and stress them out, but he had a sort of greater appreciation of the bigger picture once he left and then returned.
”He was a different person actually when he came back, he was much more relaxed and yeah, he’s just incredible. Like, long may he stay in our sport. I know that there’s an argument to keep bringing in rookies and, we’ve got six this year, that’s fantastic, and it keeps the grid moving and it keeps the energy up and keeps the competitive juices flowing.
“But I do think there’s a lot to be said for having the King of Spain on the grid as well.”
Alonso waits for Newey’s influence at Aston
2025 could be a challenging year for Aston Martin as they and Alonso wait for Adrian Newey’s design influence.
Adrian Newey officially started work on March 3, so may have had very little input on this year’s car.
Aston Martin and Alonso will be pinning their hopes on 2026 - given it will be the first car designed by Newey.
Similarly, they will have a Honda works engine deal from next year, which should give them a boost.
Alonso is contracted with Aston Martin until the end of 2026.
It means next year could be his last chance of winning his first race since 2013 - or potentially that elusive third world title.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
