Fernando Alonso reveals that he should have left Formula 1 much sooner to pursue other motorsports before eventually coming back in 2021.

The two-time Formula 1 world champion made his exit from the prestigious motorsport back in 2018 after a 4-year stint at McLaren. During Alonso's return to his former team, he failed to secure a single podium place finish. The team massively struggled to perform due to performance and reliability issues stemming from their Honda-manufactured power unit at the time.

Alonso has always had an interest in motorsports outside of Formula 1, but never really mustered up the courage to chase after his interests until 2018. He notably endeavored into the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 hours. Alonso showed his prowess by capturing a win in his first ever Le Mans endurance race with Toyota.

He explains that the only regret he has in the sport is that he should have left F1 a little earlier so he could have the time and energy to pursue some of the motorsports he wasn't able to try during his 2-year hiatus.

Via Jaimie Woodhouse of PlanetF1:

“Perhaps there is one – that I left too late. I should have left Formula 1 earlier. It’s easy to say now, but I shouldn’t have waited until 2018. I should have left in 2015 or 2016, two years earlier, to try Dakar and endurance. I already had it in mind in 2015 but it took a while to mature. Maybe too long.”

The Spaniard had originally planned to make his Formula 1 return in line with the radical regulation changes. However, since these changes were pushed to 2022, this 2021 season could be viewed as a preparatory stage for Alonso.

Alonso undoubtedly still has the skillset to perform at the highest level—even leaving fans in awe during his intense wheel-to-wheel battle with Lewis Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix. It's definitely great to see Alonso back on track, but how much does the 40-year old have left in the tank? Only time will tell.