The Spanish World Champion Fernando Alonso made his comeback in Formula One after a two-year hiatus exploring other racing disciplines.

He left the premier series at the end of 2018 following a four-season stint with McLaren. Then, Alonso raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the Dakar Rally.

Two-times world champion admitted earlier in the season that he has enjoyed his comeback season with Alpine more than he expected, as he scored one podium finish in Qatar, as well as playing a crucial role in teammate Esteban Ocon’s maiden victory in Hungary.

“On-track and off-track, I did enjoy the time with the team, and in this comeback, I was super happy,” Alonso said.

“I had the luxury to come back to the sport when I decided. When I decided, I stopped. When I decided, I came back. This is a very high luxury"

“Normally it is a very small group of drivers that can drive in Formula 1, and it’s not easy to have these kinds of possibilities. I felt thankful for this.

“And also the way that the season has been for me, from improving every time and finishing very strong, it was the best way to prepare for 2022.”

Alonso initially took a few races to get up to speed and readjust to life back in F1, explaining that he found the front tyres particularly difficult to get to grips with.

“The biggest challenge was probably the front tyres and the philosophy that every team has in terms of front suspension, front power steering, feedback that you get on the steering wheel,” Alonso said.

“That’s obviously very unique for each of the teams. And the front tyre construction did change from 2020 to 2021, and that was a challenge, I think, for everybody.

“But it was a challenge apparently for the people that changed teams, we saw at the beginning of the year, and for me as well, because I was two years out of the sport.”

Alonso has relished being back on the Formula 1 grid in 2021 and thinks that being in the midfield having the opportunity to overtake ensures that there is always fun to be had in races.

The Spaniard placed second in the rankings of F1's new Overtake Award, having been beaten to the win by Sebastian Vettel. Vettel performed a total of 132 overtakes throughout the season, whilst Alonso had 128 to his name.

Whilst Alonso admits that he would rather be at the front of the field and not need to make as many moves, he believes that the difference in the Alpine's performance levels between qualifying and race pace has contributed to his overtaking tally.

"I would love to start a little bit further up, and make no overtaking, and be in the top three constantly," Alonso joked, “but it seems that on Sundays we are a little bit more competitive than Saturdays. That was a general rule this year”.

Alonso also went over his season and talked about his favourite moments of the year.

“The most rewarding moments were for sure the highs and the moments that we performed a little bit better. Obviously the victory from Esteban in Hungary, that was the best moment for us as a team. My podium in Qatar was obviously a very nice feeling.”