Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan believes Fernando Alonso will live to regret the career choices he made and which saw the Spaniard chose money over superior equipment in Formula 1.
Alonso's two world titles conquered in F1 with Renault in 2006 and 2007 are but a hazy memory for his devoted fans. Fourteen years on, the 41-year-old's tally remains unchanged.
From his relentless pursuit of glory with Ferrari between 2010 and 2014 to his ill-inspired move to McLaren-Honda in 2015, untimely decisions have undoubtedly hindered Alonso's championship ambitions over the years.
"In F1, you need a bit of luck, and you need to have the luck that you make the right decision and then have a dominant car for a long time," commented Max Verstappen at the end of last season when he joined Alonso as a two-time F1 world champion.
"Because I mean, obviously, if you would have put Fernando in the cars where other people have won championships with, he would have done the same. But that's not how F1 works."
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Jordan is convinced that money was the prime reason behind several of Alonso's career move.
"Alonso chased the money, he went to teams where he was getting more money than what he would have got in another team, which probably had a better chance of him winning the world title," said the Irishman, speaking on the High Performance podcast.
"He probably now regrets that because he's got so much money. Sometimes when you look back, you think 'That was a mistake'."
This season, in the wake of his move from Alpine to Aston Martin, Alonso's fortunes have taken a positive turn.
So far, Alonso's transfer to Aston Martin has proven to be one of his wiser choices, and a career rejuvenation of sorts.
Four podiums and a four-place finish in five races augurs well for the Spaniard's upcoming summer, and perhaps also for a genuine run at the title in 2024.
But regardless of what may lie on the horizon for Alonso, his career in F1 will end with a shortfall of championships in relation to his outstanding skills.
"If I was to say to Fernando if he was sitting there opposite me, I'd say 'I think, Fernando, you made a mistake, you've still got a great legacy; twice F1 World Champion, but you in your heart know it could have been easily five or six'," concluded Jordan.
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