Alonso: 2021 Bahrain GP will feel like my first F1 race

Fernando Alonso expects Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix to be a learning experience after spending two years away from Formula 1.

Alonso makes his return to F1 in 2021 with Alpine having competed in IndyCar, the Dakar Rally and the World Endurance Championship in his years away.

The Spaniard doesn’t look to have lost any of his speed or ability as he qualified ninth for Alpine in Bahrain, while teammate Esteban Ocon could only manage 16th on the grid.

Reflecting on his first F1 qualifying session in over two years, Alonso said: “It was great, I really enjoyed, I think these cars on low fuel and new tyres, they are really extreme in terms of performance and you have to really trust the car and believe that you can go that fast, and it was a very nice feeling, enjoyable feeling.

“First qualifying of the year is a little bit of an unknown, how fast we were, so every time I came to the garage it was a moment of curiosity looking at the screen and seeing where you ended up, so it was a fun qualifying for sure.”

Despite having 312 starts to his name - only Kimi Raikkonen has more on the current F1 grid - Alonso admits he will still need time to re-adapt to the hustle and bustle of an F1 grand prix.

“I am confident we can do a good season but it has to be race by race,” Alonso added. “I have to get better myself first of all because even today it was the very first time on these grippy tyres to extract the maximum from the car, I will need a couple of races probably to get up to speed.

“Even the same tomorrow it will be the first time formation lap, the traffic lights, the first corner action, it’s simple things for a racing driver but after two years it’s going to feel again like new, to do a pit stop under two seconds, all these things I will have to live it for the very first time again, and that’s something I will need a couple of races to get up to speed, so let’s see.”