• Alonso's confidence in Monaco: the promise to "attack more than ever", many new pieces and second in training

"What Fernando is doing this year has a lot of merit for two reasons. First because 20 years later it is still very fast. And second because he is knowing how to lead Aston Martin. Getting it was not easy. It wasn't easy at all. His companion is the owner's son!", proclaims Jacques Villeneuve in conversation with EL MUNDO in Monaco, where he never enjoyed; Too many dropouts. The 1 Formula 1997 champion, still active in the World Endurance Championship, acknowledges his admiration for the season being done by Alonso, his teammate at Renault in 2004, and, beyond the four podiums, underlines another achievement of the Spaniard. Although he shares a garage with Lance Stroll, son of Lawrence Stroll, effectively the billionaire who owns Aston Martin, the relationship between the two drivers is excellent.

Before this Sunday's race in the Principality, where he will seek his first victory in 10 years (this Saturday the classification, 16.00 hours, DAZN), in the last test, in Miami, Alonso applauded an overtaking of the Canadian and, by radio, in full fight, recommended adjustments for the brakes. "I've heard some stories about Alonso as a complicated teammate, but I find it hard to believe them. With me he behaved extraordinarily well, he also helped me with the set-up on some occasions. Since my retirement we have experienced some controversy because of the politicking surrounding Formula 1, but even so we maintain a good relationship, "adds Villeneuve who these days awaits the birth of his sixth child, all boys.

"We work pretty well together"

Throughout his career, in his 19 seasons in Formula 1, Alonso has shared a garage with 19 drivers. From Tarso Marques, from his debut with Minardi in 2001, to Stroll today. Some, like Franck Montagny in 2003 or Guanyu Zhou in 2021, only saw him one race, but others, like Felipe Massa, have lived with him for a long time. Is he really an excellent companion or not? One of those who know him best, Jenson Button, his partner at McLaren in 2015 and 2016, made it clear in a recent conversation with this newspaper: "I was lucky that I left my partner at the end of my career, when I already had experience. Fernando is very smart, he knows what works and what doesn't, he knows the virtues and weaknesses of his partner... To tell you the truth, I expected it to be a tougher, more difficult teammate, but in the end we worked pretty well together."

The British recalled that in the worst moments, in a set that did not work in any way, the two found in humor a way out not to despair. Those occurrences of Alonso, such as sitting on a lounger after an abandonment, were also repeated inside, such as that occasion in which he and Button climbed together on the podium of Interlagos after having both withdrawn from the test. This year that connection seems to be repeated with Stroll, although in another context: now everything is going well, now the ambition is greater.

"On his debut he already knew what he wanted"

"I would say his attitude in the garage has been evolving. When I met him, in his first year in Formula 1, he didn't speak much, he didn't play jokes, I would say he wasn't so fluent with the language either. But I was already very clear with the mechanics, I already knew exactly what I wanted, what worked. Imagine what his indications must be now, 20 years later," said Alex Yoong, Minardi's driver in the final stretch of Alonso's debut season. Then the Spaniard had not yet won two World Championships, he had not yet accumulated 32 victories in Formula 1, but he was already compared to the best ever. "I remember that year I was following the race at Silverstone with one of the Minardi managers and Fernando finished last, but that boss told me: 'He looks like Senna'. I was surprised by the comment. He said that he saw the instinct and knowledge of the elect. He was right," Yoong adds in a telephone conversation from his country, Malaysia, where he tries to boost motorsport with his own team.

Like Villeneuve and Button, Yoong, who barely played a season and a half in Formula 1, hopes Alonso can celebrate a victory sooner rather than later, including this Sunday. "Why not? If I'm honest, when he switched to Aston Martin I didn't like it because I thought he had made another bad decision. I was wrong. For me he is an underrated driver. It's not perfect, maybe it's not the best ever, but it's one of the best without a doubt. He should have one or two more titles than he has," concludes the Malaysian.

  • Fernando Alonso
  • Articles Javier Sánchez

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