5 Noteworthy performances from Fernando Alonso during his second stint at McLaren

The number of times Fernando Alonso earned the praise of his fans and admirers could outrun any paper on any part of the earth. No notebook is ever enough to register all of his might and heroism.

He wasn't just a double world champion; he was a fighter who earned his world championships with rigor and toil. He liked hard work. It appeared, a contest didn't send him into jitters; it uplifted his game.

Yet, his decision to move to McLaren when the 2014 stint was complete was laced with a complacency, which his actual performances came to highlight.

To be honest, it wasn't any pleasing to note a man so habitual of staying at the front of the grid drop down to the back. Competing with backmarkers, enduring DNFs, Fernando Alonso's failures, which were obvious, in a barely drivable car only contributed to making F1 what it's often referred to as by fans (when speaking in a lighter vein): silly season.

Yet, despite the obvious struggles, the famous Spaniard was able to register some noteworthy performances that warrant some appreciation.

So which are the "Top 5 Fernando Alonso performances" for McLaren?

#5 P5 at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix

Australian F1 Grand Prix where Alonso looked solid and in control

Fernando began his 2018 season, which eventually also became his last, with a bang.

How else are you going to describe his effort at the season-opener at Melbourne whilst he was driving a car as modestly impressive as that McLaren MCL 33?

Qualifying on eleventh, Alonso, who wasn't even able to land himself on tenth- a position psychologically crucial for the mental confidence level of a driver- was able to put his car up into fifth.

He was behind Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull in the contest.

This came at the back of some seriously quick driving especially at the fast-paced corners particularly during the closing stages of the race where he emerged the better of the two Renaults and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

#4 Putting all that experience into play at Baku, 2018

Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix, where Fernando was all focus

Azerbaijan always puts up a feast for any racing fan. It's usually, always an exciting contest.

Earlier this year, Baku produced a rather unexpected Grand Prix wherein at the back of a faltering Sebastian Vettel, the race leader who locked up under braking, one saw not one but three cars get into the battle for first, including, Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Raikkonen.

But much before the chaos was unleashed, the McLaren of Fernando Alonso picked up a puncture in its rear wheel owing to an opening lap collision down at Turn 2 that saw Raikkonen and Ocon coming together inside the opening lap.

Most commentators agreed that the manner in which Fernando Alonso was able to retreat toward the pits so as to get a new wheel for his McLaren was a result of all that experience at having raced at the top-echelons of motor-racing.

Any other driver- it was regarded- may not have been able to restrict the damage control on that McLaren and come out anew with a fresher set of rubber to contest again. He was able to fight for a respectable seventh-place finish at the end.

Not so bad, right?

#3 The fight with Lewis Hamilton at an epic Mexican GP of 2017

Not many have been able to keep Lewis in check, of late, right?

Sebastian Vettel had grabbed a sensational pole at the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix. He was being pursued by Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, respectively.

But early on in the race, Lewis Hamilton was contacted by the Ferrari of Vettel. Upon the completion of the opening lap, Vettel and Hamilton came together at a tricky corner, Sebastian a bit under pressure and anxious in his attempt to make good for having lost the track position to Max, touching the Mercedes well enough to enforce a puncture.

This resulted in compromising the 2017 World Champion's race. As Hamilton dived into the pits, he was left to play catch up with the better part of the grid, now in front of him.

From the onset of Lap 47 out of 71, with 24 intense laps to go, Hamilton, fast catching up with the frontal end of the grid, was informed on the radio about his realistic position, that being a P8 or P9, at best.

But in what became a closely-fought duel for that position, he had to endure a classy battle with among the most respected drivers on the grid: Fernando Alonso.

On Lap 58, Hamilton cut down the gap between him and Alonso to under six seconds, the McLaren comfortably placed on a P9 with the Briton in hot pursuit.

This battle would eventually turn on its head and therefore, gave a pretty straightforward Mexican Grand Prix of 2017, an exciting ending.

As Hamilton forged his way up, cutting down the gap to Alonso by under a second, going wheel-to-wheel, the fans saw five world championships in one frame.

Alonso didn't allow the faster car and driver, Lewis Hamilton to break ahead and made him work every bit hard for the P9 he had to eventually settle with.

The key highlight of this battle was the move Hamilton made over Alonso around Turn 4 at Mexico on Lap 68, wherein he came from well wide outside the McLaren to pass it, only to see Alonso claw back and hold his position for ninth.

#2 Some memorable races in 2016 season

F1 Grand Prix of Monaco, Alonso is utterly in control

If the first stint in 2015 was a forgettable one for Fernando, who had to endure 8 DNFs in his maiden season with McLaren in the turbocharged era, the 2016 season was marginally better, it could be said.

And nothing could demonstrate this than what Alonso managed at the Grands Prix of Monaco (in the fashionable Principality) and at the USA (Circuit of the Americas).

In both races, Alonso clinched a vital P5 and thus 10 respectable points for a car that was still, very much a lame sedan when compared to the mean, feisty machines contesting at the front.

At the Monaco GP, clinched by Hamilton, Alonso battled the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg and the Toro Rosso of a driver who hails the Spaniard: Carlos Sainz Jr.

He gathered a respectable P5 but it was at the back of some persistence, especially given the barely drivable conditions at the track, Monaco besieged by the rains.

As Kevin Magnussen and Kimi Raikkonen weren't able to contest, hitting the wall, much to the chagrin of other drivers, Fernando Alonso, who'd made a good move right at the start, defending brilliantly from Bottas, was able to steer ahead of the backmarkers.

He would demonstrate familiar grit at Texas, under bright lights, when the McLaren driver would successfully compete with the likes of Felipe Massa, then, in a Williams and Carlos Sainz Jr. of Toro Rosso, emerging ahead of two cars that, purely on straight line speed, were far better than the lackadaisical pace of the McLaren.

#1 The stellar lap at Hungaroring, 2017

Every driver has at least one track, where he's a bit surreal for the others competing against him. He might be beatable at the track, but it's often down to the exhibition of some rich prowess that fashions something incredible to remember.

Kimi is called the King of Spa, having won in Belgium on four occasions. Hamilton, who's also been terrific at Spa-Francorchamps, rules with an iron fist at Silverstone, his home track.

Mexico is fast emerging as Max's favorite or most sought-after track, having won the Grands Prix of 2017 and 2018 at Sergio Peres-land.

But what about Fernando Alonso?

When it comes to Hungaroring, the scene of his last-ever podium- a P2 in 2014- it could be said, the track loves Alonso.

Also the scene of his first ever race win, which transpired in 2003, Fernando Alonso will probably always hold special memories given his performance here at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix.

In 2017's race, while much of the highlight belonged to the two Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, finishing second and first respectively, out of nowhere did Alonso race in the final stages of the Grand Prix to set the fastest lap of the race.

The famous picture of "Happy Holidays" was created here with Alonso, who grabbed a fighting P6 in the end, posed for the cameras and he lounged freely on a chair deliberately chilling out- well, that was deserved- as felicitations occurred at the podium.

Edited by Alan John