Opinion
Charisma. Elegance. Character. Glamour. Fernando Alonso brings it all to Formula One and the announcement of his return with Renault brings pure delight for fans.
What stands out the most with Alonso is his ruthlessness in the car – he always gets more than the average driver would.
Alonso is a pure racing lover, he started from his early days and despite being away from F1 since the end of the 2018 season, he has been constantly competing within the motorsport world, whether it is IndyCar or Dakar.
Some might call it narcissism but the Spaniard’s supreme confidence in his abilities contributes to his greatness. It is exactly why Ayrton Senna could push his car to the limits – you have to have utmost belief in yourself to reach greatness.
The other side of the coin is that sometimes his character and ego push him to say things that affect team cohesion. For instance, his “GP2 engine” radio message, referring to the poor performance levels of the Honda engine in the back of his McLaren. What was worse for the Japanese constructor was that such an insult was made to them at their home grand prix in Suzuka.
One of the finest drivers of all time, Alonso is an illustrious addition to the 2021 line up and his return should boost Liberty Media’s efforts to further globalise and market the sport.
Pat Symonds, who was on the F1 official podcast last week, stated that if Alonso is returning to the sport, he is here to win. His winning mentality is common knowledge and is a source of inspiration for younger drivers.
Despite having won only two drivers’ championships and 32 races in a career spanning 17 years (from 2001 to 2018), Alonso’s status as a Formula One great is undeniable. His career stats are a real example of the misrepresentative attributes of quantitative data. Due to his questionable career choices, Alonso has missed out on being in the right car at the right time on several occasions.
His reunion with Renault is nostalgic and yet intriguing for the future, given the introduction of new racing regulations in 2022. One can only pray that Renault provides Fernando with a machine that matches his talent and hunger for new titles!
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