Alonso F1 return is not "impossible but it's getting harder and harder"

Alonso retired from Formula 1 in 2018 but has constantly been linked with a return to the sport with Red Bull and Ferrari two of the possible avenues reported. He has appeared at the Bahrain test for McLaren in 2019 but after the Woking-based team confirmed their lineup for next season his chances looked slim.

Alonso has finally conceded that it looks increasingly unlikely that he'll return to the pinnacle of motorsport, but still holds a shred of hope.

"It's not impossible, but it's getting harder and harder," Alonso admitted to the Spanish version of GQ.

"Nothing has changed. I said goodbye in 2018 in Abu Dhabi, not goodbye. After all these years in the premier class, I had to take a deep breath and get my head free. That was difficult in the years before."

Alonso is also set to race in the Dakar Rally and he compared the two disciplines, adding: "The Dakar is a major element of uncertainty. A raid rally is much less unstructured than a Formula 1 race. One day you win 20 minutes, the next you lose 40. I see the Dakar from next January as the biggest challenge of my career.

"What I do not want to experience: having to give up on the second or third day because of a stupid mistake. So I take on my task with a certain calm."