David Coulthard says it was easier for Fernando Alonso to get back into the cockpit than Michael Schumacher. Both drivers decided to leave the cockpit after a while in motorsport and came back a few years later.
While Michael was taking a real break from motorsport, Fernando decided to take part in other motorsport series, such as Indycar. This was the crucial difference between the two drivers on their return to Formula 1 and also the reason why Alonso is more successful now than Schumi was with Mercedes.