Fernando Alonso has openly admitted that if he had the chance to “go back in time,” he would alter the outcome of his pursuit of the F1 world championship with Ferrari.
Alonso’s tenure at Ferrari spanned five seasons, during which he narrowly missed clinching the title in both 2010 and 2012.
In both instances, his main competitor was Sebastian Vettel.
The pivotal moment of the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw Ferrari make the tactical decision to pit Fernando Alonso prematurely, releasing him into congested traffic that hindered his ability to make crucial overtakes. This decision, mirroring a similar strategy by his closest rival Mark Webber, ultimately played into the hands of Sebastian Vettel, handing him the championship.
Two years later, Alonso experienced what could be considered his most impressive F1 season, yet even this remarkable effort fell short. Despite Sebastian Vettel surviving a dramatic collision with Bruno Senna during the opening lap at the Interlagos circuit in Brazil, he secured enough points to claim his third world championship.
Following a disappointing 2014 F1 season, which marked the onset of the V6 hybrid era, Fernando Alonso chose to depart Ferrari for McLaren-Honda. This move inadvertently opened the door for Vettel to join the Scuderia.
Unfortunately for the two-time world champion, this move did not yield the desired results, as Ferrari regained their competitive edge in 2015, winning three races. Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso found himself in the midst of the midfield, struggling with uncompetitive machinery.
In a conversation with Jake Humphrey on the High Performance Podcast, the Spaniard candidly discussed the regrets he carries from his Formula 1 career and the aspects he would choose to alter if given the opportunity to do so.
“Winning a championship with Ferrari, that will probably be the first thing I choose, if I can go back in time,” the Spanish driver said.
“2010, 2012, we were within a few laps of winning the championship. That probably could have changed a little bit the outcome of many things, the history behind a few things.”
The Spaniard admitted that he should have also focused more on simply enjoyed his Formula One career:
“What I regret, for sure, was not to enjoy more my time, my career,” he added. “I know that I am at the end of it. There’s a new life in a few years time for me without driving and when I look back on my career I will see a lot of good things and good friendships and incredible experiences.
“But it’s like I should have enjoyed [it] more. If I had the opportunity to live my exact life once more maybe I don’t change anything with my teams, with my choices or this Ferrari title. I would change to live a little bit more all those moments and try to have more memories from those moments. I won the championship in Brazil 2005 and 2006, and I hardly remember anything from those afternoons and nights which is sad.” – Fernando Alonso concluded.
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