«What Fernando is doing this year has a lot of merit for two reasons. Firstly 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 was not easy. His partner is the son of the owner!», proclaims Jacques Villeneuve in conversation with EL MUNDO in Monaco, where he never enjoyed himself; too many dropouts. The 1997 Formula 1 champion, still active in the World Endurance Championship, acknowledges his admiration for the season Alonso is having, his teammate at Renault in 2004, and, beyond the four podiums, underlines another achievement by 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 qualifying, 4:00 p.m., DAZN), in the last test, in Miami, Alonso applauded an overtaking of the Canadian and, on the radio, in the middle of a fight, he recommended adjustments to the brakes. “I have heard some stories about Alonso being a difficult teammate, but I find it hard to believe them.. With me he behaved extraordinarily well, he also helped me with the adjustments on some occasions. Since my retirement we have experienced some controversy because of the politicking that surrounds Formula 1, but even so we maintain a good relationship, “adds Villeneuve who is expecting the birth of her sixth child these days, all boys.
“We work quite 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 for 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 my partner left 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 his partner's strengths and weaknesses…. To tell the truth, I expected him to be a tougher, more difficult partner, but in the end we worked quite well together.”
The Briton recalled that at the worst moments, in a group that did not work in any way, the two found a way out in humor so as not to despair. Those occurrences of Alonso, such as sitting on a lounger after an abandonment, were also repeated behind closed doors, like that occasion in which he and Button stood together on the Interlagos podium after both having 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.
“In his debut he already knew what he wanted”
«I would say that his attitude in the garage has evolved. When I met him, in his first year in Formula 1, he didn't speak much, he didn't joke around, I would say that he wasn't that fluent with the language either.. But he was already very clear with the mechanics, he already knew exactly what he wanted, what worked. Imagine what his indications must be like now, 20 years later,” says Alex Yoong, a Minardi driver in the final stretch of Alonso's debut season.. Then the Spaniard had not yet won two World Cups, he had not yet accumulated 32 victories in Formula 1, but he was already compared to the best ever. «I remember that that year I was following the race at Silverstone with one of the people in charge of Minardi 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 chosen ones. He was right, “adds Yoong in a telephone conversation from his country, Malaysia, where he tries to promote motorsport with his own team.
Like Villeneuve and Button, Yoong, who barely played a season and a half in Formula 1, hopes that Alonso can celebrate a victory sooner rather than later, even this Sunday.. “Why not? To be 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 is not perfect, maybe it is not the best in history, but it is one of the best without a doubt. He should have one or two more titles than he has,” concludes the Malaysian.