Madrid (AFP)

Spaniard Fernando Alonso admitted on Monday that he had not given up hope of returning to Formula 1 at 38, while the name of the double world champion is often cited to occupy the seat of Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who will be free at Renault in 2021.

"From a physical point of view and in terms of motivation, I am at the top, so I would like to be able to focus on a major championship, whether it be the return to F1, the World Endurance Championship or the Indycar, "said Alonso at a virtual conference hosted by the Real Madrid Universidad Europea school.

Since leaving F1 at the end of the 2018 season, Alonso has been crowned 2018-19 world champion in endurance racing, failed to qualify for a second participation in the prestigious 500 miles of Indianapolis in 2019 and has discovered the Dakar Rally 2020 by finishing in 13th place.

But the Spanish pilot does not see himself returning to the Dakar from next year.

"I tried it, to see how I could express myself at the wheel of such a different car. It was a positive experience that I will surely repeat in the future," he said.

"But I think my next challenge is going to be at the highest level, because I have the feeling that I am still at 100% of my capacities", underlined Alonso, passed in F1 in particular by Renault (2003-06 and 2008 -09), Ferrari (2010-14) and McLaren (2007 and 2015-18).

Renault, with whom it won its two world titles in 2005 and 2006, is looking for a driver to succeed in 2021 to Ricciardo who will join McLaren, replacing Carlos Sainz, recruited him by Ferrari.

Alonso, who has 32 victories in the queen category in his record, the last in May 2013, would hold the rope to reconnect with the diamond mark, even if the quadruple German world champion Sebastian Vettel, which Ferrari did not wish to keep , will be on the market.

The Italian Flavio Briatore who led him at Renault, believes him capable of returning to the queen category even after a hiatus of two seasons.

"Fernando is motivated, it has been good to be away from F1, Fernando has become addicted, I see him more calm now and he is ready to return," he told the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.

© 2020 AFP