P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Alain Prost admits that Fernando Alonso “surprised me positively” upon his comeback to Formula 1 in 2021, having retained misconceived
Alonso left Formula 1 in 2018 due to McLaren’s poor performance, but returned in 2021 with the Alpine team, where Prost was a Non-Executive Director. Prost initially had concerns about Alonso’s potential disruptive influence but was impressed with his dedication and approach to the sport. However, Prost was later dismissed from his role at Alpine and criticized the team for their lack of respect. Similarly, Alonso criticized Alpine for their lack of professionalism in not finalizing his contract renewal, which led him to join Aston Martin for the 2023 season. Alonso’s move to Aston Martin proved to be well-timed as the team emerged as a strong competitor to Red Bull. Despite being 42 years old, Alonso performed exceptionally well, securing eight podiums and finishing fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.
