F1 return 'getting harder'

Fernando Alonso and his manager Abad facing reality he is now too old for F1

(GMM) Fernando Alonso has answered "we'll see" and "maybe" to the latest question about whether he might return to Formula 1.

Still with ties to the Spaniard's management, Flavio Briatore last week said Alonso, 38, would only return to the grid with Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull.

When asked about a potential return, Alonso told the broadcaster La Sexta at an endurance karting race: "We'll see.

"Everyone asks when I will return, but it's not in my immediate plans. In the medium term, maybe after some time I will think about it."

When asked if an offer from Ferrari could change things, he added: "I don't know."

Similarly, in the Spanish edition of the men's magazine GQ, Alonso said of a potential F1 return: "It's not impossible, but it's getting harder and harder with my age.

"Now I could go back and enjoy it, which was impossible in my last years in the championship.

"Nothing has changed. I said goodbye in Abu Dhabi in 2018. After all those years I had to take a deep breath and clear my head. The years before that were difficult."

Alonso is currently preparing for a potential run at the famous off-road Dakar rally, insisting he is enjoying the differences compared to F1.

"Such freedom does not exist in Formula 1," he said.

"I can't find the right word, but let's say you are a puppet of the team in Formula 1. All day long you are told what to do, what to eat, how to train, when to go to bed.

"But I am already a more complete driver by practicing for the Dakar. And that is exactly why I chose to do these different things. I want to develop as a driver.

"With more luck, I could have become world champion three or four times. But I do not think I would have as much respect as I have today without doing the other things I have done," Alonso added.