Fernando Alonso made a surprise return to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car in Bahrain on Monday – just 17 hours on from his emotional farewell in Abu Dhabi.
The double world champion had waved goodbye to his career as an official F1 driver – at least for now – at Yas Marina on Sunday night.
But one of his final major commitments for McLaren this year is a promotional day with seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson in Bahrain in which they will swap cars.
Alonso is scheduled to drive Johnson’s NASCAR Chevrolet, while Johnson will get his first F1 test in a 2013 Mercedes-powered McLaren.
The plan had not originally included a run in the F1 car for Alonso.
But in the event he made a last-minute request to conduct a quick run in the V8-engined car.
Alonso completed several laps to set a baseline for Johnson, with their official car swaps due to take place later on Monday.