Alonso underplays F1 return possibility

Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, who has already announced that he would be retiring from racing by the end of the ongoing season, has underplayed his chances of returning to Formula One.

The 37-year-old participated in his last F1 race, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, on Sunday where he finished on the 11th spot. He said that returning to F1 is not something that is in his mind right now.

"Going back to F1? Only I could motivate myself, I think I would not need any message or signal to be able to return. The idea is that this is my last race and that this career in F1 is over. I would need to feel very empty next year on the couch and miss it so much that I would consider returning. It is not the idea for now but we'll see what happens," Sport24 quoted Alonso as saying.

In August, Alonso had announced that he would bid adieu to racing at the end of the ongoing season. Considered as one of the greatest Formula One drivers, he won the F1 World Championship titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006.

In a career spanning 17 years, the McLaren driver appeared for 302 career races. He won 22 pole positions, 32 races besides also making a staggering 97 finishes.