Fernando Alonso may no longer be as "fast" and "brave" as he was at the beginning of his Formula 1 career.
That is the view of the Spaniard's contemporary and friend Mark Webber, who told Marca sports newspaper that even Alonso was "worried" about returning to F1 at the age of 39.
"I'm a super fan of Fernando and he knows it," said the Australian.
"But he was worried because he knew that it would not be easy for him. When your name is Alonso, Schumacher, Lauda, coming back can be difficult."
While Webber thinks Alonso remains motivated, he does not think it's appropriate for Alpine, Formula 1 and the fans to wait for him to get back up to speed.
"Formula 1 does not understand patience," he said. "It's the pinnacle, so you can't just apologise and say 'I need more time'.
"That's my doubt. Can the Fernando of today beat the 25-year-old Fernando? That is the question. He is just as good, he has more experience but is he really that fast and that brave? It's a question only he can answer.
"Look at Valentino Rossi," Webber continued. "I hate to see him suffering like this but the stopwatch never lies."
