Fernando Alonso returns to Monaco this weekend with a very different mindset from a year ago, when he dominated at the wheel of a McLaren, taking pole position and winning the race for the second time in his career. One year on and the expression “older and wiser” comes to mind as the Spaniard, 26, now back at Renault and struggling for competitiveness, surveys the wreckage of his relationship with McLaren, the bitter divorce after just one year in their employ and his role in the prosecution of the team by the FIA, the governing body for motor racing, which lead to a £50m fine.

Monaco will bring back poignant memories for the double world champion because it was after his victory there last year that the real problems started between him and the McLaren team management. Teammate Lewis Hamilton lost the chance to win the race when traffic on his qualifying lap prevented him from taking pole position. In the race, he duly followed Alonso around the tight streets for 78 laps. Afterwards he said: “It says number two on my car, so I guess that means I’m the number two driver,” implying that he had been prevented from overtaking Alonso by the team. It caused a media storm and McLaren chose not to come to Alonso’s defence. This opened up a wound that would fester as the year unfolded.