Having worked closely with Fernando Alonso over 17 years ago, former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa knows his fellow Spanish driver better than many. While the 42-year-old was once the ‘bad guy’ of F1, he has now become a gracious leader at Aston Martin. According to de la Rosa (as reported by RacingNews365), an important reason behind the drastic change has been Alonso’s increased fluency in English.
Despite everything that happened between Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in 2007, de la Rosa opines nothing has changed in Alonso over the last 17 years. He said that whenever people ask him what has changed between the Fernando Alonso of 2007 and now, he always says nothing.
fernando alonso and pedro de la rosa: “now and then” pic.twitter.com/oKnOf42Bx7
— luna (@stiiluna_) December 28, 2023
However, he quickly mended his sentence by pointing out the one thing that was different. According to de la Rosa, Alonso has significantly improved his fluency in English, allowing him to grow as a driver and a leader.
“The only thing I would add is that he [Alonso] has become a great leader in the sense that he knows now how to express his feelings very well, which he didn’t back in 2007, mainly because his English was not as good.”
Speaking on the radio, Alonso is much more clear in his messages, thanks to his “improvement in the English language.” Given the message not only goes to those sitting in the paddock but also to those working at the HQ, the former world champion has learned a way to motivate everyone
Thus, speaking in fluent English has made Alonso a much better driver than in 2007. Furthermore, it has also allowed him to prolong his career, much like athletes from other background
Fernando Alonso is to F1 what Tom Brady was to NFL
Having debuted in F1 in 2001, Fernando Alonso has been a part of the sport for over two decades. At 42, many believed 2024 to be his last season in F1 as retirement looms closer. However, the Spaniard ended up signing a contract extension with Aston Martin, ensuring that he would stay until the end of the 2026 season.
Noticing the hunger within Alonso, McLaren CEO Zak Brown ended up comparing the former McLaren driver to NFL icon Tom Brady. He claimed that as athletes grow older, they start to lose focus. But with Alonso, the case wasn’t the same as he continues to think about going on. Thus, Brown thinks Alonso “is the Tom Brady of this [racing] world.”
At 42, Alonso continues to prove he is physically fit enough to continue racing against the younger drivers. Hence, his longevity remains dependent on his mental health and motivation. As things stand, the Spaniard shows no signs of stopping and continues to be a lucrative target for many teams.
