Fernando Alonso is one the greatest F1 drivers of all time and has been a part of some of the sport’s most iconic moments. He made his debut in 2001, and in his early years, he was a force to reckon with. Alonso won the 2005 and 2006 world championships by getting the better of the legendary Michael Schumacher.
As Schumacher’s career progressed, he slowly began to shift away from the title picture. The last two teams he drove for were midfield teams and many feel that if he drove for a top team today, he could challenge for the championship once again.
Before achieving legendary status, Alonso had to overcome what was arguably his biggest hurdle. Schumacher had won the world championship five consecutive times between 1999 and 2004 and was the favorite heading into the 2005 campaign too. Alonso, however, was able to shock the world and produce two extraordinary campaigns to become a back-t0-back champion.
Despite having Schumacher as an on-track rival during the early 2000s, Alonso revealed that he learned a lot from the German.
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Michael Schumacher never underperformed, says Alonso
One of the things Alonso enjoyed the most about Schumacher was his ability to remain consistent throughout the season. In an interview with his new team Aston Martin, Alonso talks about how Schumacher never had an off day, and always performed. This motivated him to work harder when he first came into F1 & also when they went toe to toe for the world title.
The Oviedo-born driver went on to talk about how he has had battles with many rivals over the years and the fact that there were days when they weren’t at their best. Those days, he could ‘capitalise’ on them to maximize his result.
Fernando Alonso overtakes Michael Schumacher as the driver with the longest career in Formula 1 today 👴 pic.twitter.com/L3j7M1B80e
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) June 12, 2022
However, with Schumacher, it wasn’t possible to do that because he never had an off day. Alonso did not discount the fact that Ferrari was the most dominant team back then with the best car, so the duo of Schumacher and the Scuderia was practically unbeatable.
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Fernando Alonso aiming to fight for title one last time before retirement
Alonso is currently 41 years old but showing no signs of slowing down. He took a break from the sport at the end of the 2018 season but returned in 2021 to drive for Alpine (formerly Renault). Alonso returned to the sport only because he wanted to win races and fight for titles once again.
Midway into the 2022 campaign, he announced that he would be driving for Aston Martin, 2023 onwards. His two-years with the Enstone-based outfit turned out to be underwhelming but with Aston Martin, he is sure they can make big strides.
The Silverstone squad is ambitious, and Alonso feels that he will have the right car at his disposal that will allow him to fight for wins one last time before he calls time on his long and illustrious career.
