Fernando Alonso, despite a renewed spat with ex-teammate Esteban Ocon, has underlined his affection for his former team, Alpine.
After Frenchman Ocon called Alonso a "fuc*ing idiot" post-collision in Brazil, Alonso fired back: "Yes, I heard what that guy said.
"He's still very immature and hasn't changed his way of seeing things, but hey, there are other things that don't change either. He came out behind me like last year and stayed there - like last year."
The two-time champion's comments also hinted at a persistent challenge when encountering the two Alpine cars on track, as he quipped, "Whenever there is an Alpine you have to be extra careful."
Despite the tension, however, Alonso maintains a level of respect for his former Enstone-based team, rooted in their successful history together.
He shared with GQ magazine in its latest edition: "I have a lot of respect for Alpine. It's the team [as Renault] that gave me my two world championships, so it'll always be in my heart."
But despite his continued emotional investment in Alpine's performance relative to his current team, he thinks he definitely made the right decision in switching to Aston Martin.
"If they're behind you," Alonso said, referring to Alpine, "there's always a bit of relief that you made the right decision."
But Alonso also thinks his team's early favourable results this year came as a surprise that was perhaps "a little bit too early" for Aston Martin's state of team development.
He also defended his under-fire new teammate, Lance Stroll.
"There were a couple of occasions where Lance lost a lot of points," said the Spaniard. "Exhaust failure in Jeddah when he was P5; the rear-wing in Suzuka while fighting for points."
Finally, Alonso dismissed any lingering speculation about his retirement even at the age of 42. "I feel fresh, I feel fast, and I'm enjoying the journey with Aston Martin.
"It's not the time to retire yet."
