Fernando Alonso 'will be thankful always' to Alpine despite DNF complaints

Fernando Alonso will always be thankful to Alpine for the two titles he won with the team in 2005 and 2006 in their previous iteration as Renault.

Alonso's frustration with the team was noticeable in the 2022 season after numerous reliability issues hampered his campaign. One of the reasons why the Spaniard decided to move on from Alpine was his frustration with the reliability issues faced by the team.

Despite that being the case, Alonso expressed nothing but gratitude towards the team in a recent interview. One of the biggest reasons behind this was the success he achieved earlier in his career with Renault. At the time, Fernando Alonso became the youngest Formula One world champion with the team in what were the most successful years of his career.

Speaking to RacingNews365.com, Fernando Alonso revealed that he only had good memories attached to the Enstone-based squad. He said:

"The frustration of [another DNF in Abu Dhabi] is there, and [there is] nothing I can do. But I'm very grateful, and I will always think [of] Alpine or Renault with good memories. We won the two championships, I spent nine years of my life in Formula 1 [with them], so I will be thankful always and wishing them the best of luck next year."

When asked to compare his frustrations this season to what happened during his stint at McLaren, the Spaniard said the stint with Alpine was far more enjoyable as the car was competitive enough to fight for points. He added:

"I think we've been more competitive this year. So when we finished the race it was more enjoyable than [with the] McLaren Honda, [where] we were always out of the points, so I will not compare."

Alpine CEO confirms that Fernando Alonso was not doing simulator work

Recently, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso's teammate at Alpine, revealed that he had to carry out the bulk of the simulator work as the Spaniard didn't want to do that.

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi confirmed that the Spaniard would not spend time in the simulator while adding that the new signing Pierre Gasly certainly would. He revealed:

"Pierre will also take part in simulator work. It is one of the big differentiators from Alonso. Not all drivers spend time in the simulator, but it is certainly a crucial element nowadays, in the times we live in. This year, with a new single-seater, there was a lot of work to do and Fernando is not someone who likes to drive simulators, although that doesn't change the incredible driver he is."

It will be interesting to see if Alonso responds to this criticism from the CEO of the team he left to join Aston Martin.