Fernando Alonso has suggested that he can get into a better rhythm from next month’s French Grand Prix after a subdued start to his Formula 1 comeback.
Alonso left Formula 1 after the 2018 campaign but has returned for 2021 on a two-year Alpine deal.
Alonso has trailed team-mate Esteban Ocon at four of the last five qualifying sessions and has yet to finish ahead in race trim, scoring five points to Ocon’s 13.
The Spaniard pointed to the presence of Imola and Portimao – which featured on the calendar in late 2020 – and a couple of street-based venues as far from ideal in order to get into the right rhythm after two years out.
“Baku is [coming in] a little bit of an unlucky moment,” he said. “In a way, the start of the season is not the best possible calendar for a new [or] coming [back] driver.
“I had Imola, I had Portimao, two circuits I was not racing on for years, or never, like in Portimao. The guys, they were racing months ago in the championship.
“[There are] two street circuits, Baku and Monaco, so [of] the first six races of the championship, four are extremely challenging to get used to. From France, a new championship hopefully starts for me.”
Alonso was eliminated from Q1 in Monaco and outlined that tyre preparation was key – reckoning the issues were a one-off due to the circuit characteristics.
“I think the tyres are the main factor in this kind of weekend, especially on a street circuit, you need to switch on the tyre and work in the perfect window on the temperature of the tyre,” he said.
“Also qualifying is crucial in the weekend, you need to put this energy and heat into the tyres.
“I don’t know how many ‘Monacos’ we will have because this is a very unique circuit.
“Portugal and Barcelona we were in a better position, so I hope next weekend we can be back to that kind of performance.”
