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Alpine driver Fernando Alonso was one of the top overtakers of the 2021 season. The 40-year-old credits the increased competitiveness of his Alpine cars for his overtaking count, coming up just short of his long-time rival Sebastian Vettel.
The Spaniard also found good fun in the situation stating he'd rather be at the front of the grid. He said :
“I would love to start a little bit further up, and make no overtakings, and be in the top three constantly. But it seems that on Sundays, we are a little bit more competitive than Saturdays. That was a general rule this year.”
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Returning to the sport after a two-year hiatus, Fernando Alonso said that he has had good fun since his return to the driver's seat. Claiming that he enjoyed the action in the midfield, the driver said:
“Obviously, when you are in the midfield, there is a little bit more action compared to the front, [which is] not always on television. There are a couple of races [where] they are quite fun, and you are a little bit lonely there in some others. But I think it has been always the same, and as long as there is an opportunity and the circuit provides some good spots for overtaking, it's normally good fun.”
Alonso completed 128 overtakes, only to be bettered by Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel with four more. The German took home the inaugural 'crypto.com Overtaking Award' for the 2021 season.
Fernando Alonso 'still loved the sport' even after 2018 departure
The Spaniard decided to call it a day in 2018 after a disappointing season stuck in the midfield with the then Renault-powered McLaren. He said:
“It was not that I was not in love with Formula 1, but I felt that I was losing time in my career in that moment in Formula 1. I didn’t have the chance to fight for wins, to fight for podiums, but I felt that I have this possibility and this appealing challenge of trying something different.”
Fernando Alonso is a two-time world champion, winning the title with Renault for consecutive years in 2005 and 2006. In doing so, he beat the likes of Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, and Felippe Massa, among others.
