---
title: "Alonso rejects suggestions Alpine’s reliability issues similar to McLaren-Honda"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2022/12/28/alonso-rejects-suggestions-alpines-reliability-issues-similar-to-mclaren-honda/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths"
section: "F1 News"
published: "2022-12-28T15:36:21Z"
modified: "2022-12-28T15:36:23Z"
---

# Alonso rejects suggestions Alpine’s reliability issues similar to McLaren-Honda

Fernando Alonso has rejected comparisons between Alpine’s reliability problems in 2022 and McLaren’s during its turbulent period with Honda, insisting this year was “more enjoyable”.

Alonso secured back-to-back top 10 finishes in the drivers’ championship with Alpine this season after returning to Formula 1 last year, but was left frustrated to have let better results slip away with a series of mechanical failures.

In six of this year’s 22 races, Alonso did not see the chequered flag due to reliability issues, including his swan song for Alpine in Abu Dhabi.

The incurring failures harken back to Alonso’s struggles with McLaren during the Woking-based team’s nightmare three-year spell in partnership with Honda, but the two-time world champion stressed the two periods are not comparable.

“When we finished the race, it was more enjoyable,” said Alonso, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

“In McLaren-Honda, we were always out of the points. So I will not compare.”

Alonso’s second stint at McLaren between 2015 and 2018 is best remembered for the countless setbacks the team faced when powered by Honda, as the Japanese manufacturer returned to F1 as an engine supplier.

But an underpowered and unreliable power unit made for a disastrous first campaign in 2015, with Alonso scoring just two points finishes all season.

While performances improved the year after, further issues in 2017 ultimately led to McLaren terminating its engine deal with Honda and instead join forces with Renault.

Alonso’s McLaren-Honda stint shows he suffered more retirements than his 2022 campaign at Alpine and was a far more consistent points scorer, registering 14 top-10 finishes compared to 16 over three seasons between 2015 and 2017.

After retiring from the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Alonso felt his DNF tally did not fully reflect all the bad luck he had endured throughout the year.

“\[There have been\] six DNFs but also \[things\] they don’t count as a DNF but they were DNF like Australia the qualifying problem,” said Alonso.

“The sprint race in Austria, I didn’t even start the race, and things like that. So I think there are nine or 10 reliability issues, which are this level is obviously not acceptable.”