Fernando Alonso said there was no excuse for his appearance at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Alonso had an accident on his way to the grid before the race, sliding off a wet track and damaging the front wing of his car. He spent most of the grand prix running outside the top ten but rose to points after Kimi Raikkonen was hit by a post-race penalty.
Alonso, who won F1 titles in 2005 and 2006, spent the last two years racing in other categories, but doesn’t think the break is a plausible explanation for his performance.
“I think each of us has a different story and a different theme or difficulty,” Alonso said. “I switch teams many times – I even change categories or draws many times – and there is always a period of adaptation.
“But that’s never been an excuse, and that’s not an excuse now. I should be better. I’m not at the right level this weekend, but I’ll be in Portimao.”
Alonso won at Imola in 2005 but struggled to return to the Italian circuit. Races are held in variable conditions, starting in rainy conditions and finishing in conditions suitable for dry tires but with wet tracks off the track.
The Spaniard said the experience would only help him return to his previous level.
“Maybe it’s inclined to agree that it looks like that. There’s no reason to say that – it’s pretty clear that with every lap we do, this (new) racer will feel more comfortable, and (Sunday) is one of those days where it multiplies the experience.
“From the first lap to the end we changed the conditions and grip levels many times during the race – we had one red flag, one standing start, one rolling start. There is a lot to practice and a lot of things to go through. Which usually takes 4-5. racing and we compress it into one race, lots of activity.
“I am happy with this learning, happy to feel the car in wet conditions. Obviously the test was carried out for a day and a half in Bahrain. This is the first time in intermediate conditions, dry with only one narrow line on the circuit.
Lots of lessons to take, to analyze, and to feel wise, from the first lap to the 63th I felt 300% better in how confident I was in the car. But this is no excuse for saying I didn’t look good. . I need to be better prepared and better prepared next time – it doesn’t matter if you have little or no time in the car, I’ll try to be better next time. “