Alonso eyeing more Renault podiums than last season
Jan.29 - Fernando Alonso says it is already clear which teams and drivers will finish at the top of the 2021 world championship.
The 39-year-old is returning to Formula 1 after a two-year sabbatical, but he is most interested in the sweeping new rules for 2022 that he hopes will greatly increase the championship's competitiveness.
So, for 2021, he hopes that because Renault was on the podium three times in 2020, "I would like to improve on that score" for the new season.
"After that, much more," said the Spaniard, referring to his newly-rebranded Alpine team.
"In 2021, Mercedes will win again. Hamilton will win again," Alonso told Rai radio. "Red Bull will fight for second place and it remains to be seen who will finish third."
When asked if Hamilton or Mercedes deserve the most credit for their current dominance, he answered: "Hamilton at Mercedes. There is no domination by a driver if there is not a winning car."
He said the full extent of Mercedes' "technical superiority" became clear to everyone when George Russell took over for a race when Hamilton sat out with covid.
Alonso said "the Russell case is striking in explaining this Formula 1".
"In five days, not 100, he went from last to first. All without a divine touch or meditating in Tibet. It was enough to get in a Mercedes," he said.
"Evaluating drivers is difficult, but when you think about who Hamilton and Bottas most often see in the mirrors, it is Verstappen. Leclerc is an exceptional talent but it will take a few years to really measure him."
As for Ferrari's problems, Alonso said his former team is in "a different dimension" compared to any other outfit on the grid.
"There is the sports management, the company, the politics, a lot of decision makers," he said. "Other teams are in F1 for 10 or 15 years and then they go, but Ferrari can't do that.
"But the real truth is that for the last seven years, only one team has won."
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Alonso has been at the top and down below. He has a wise perspective on F1 Glad to have him back. I hope he does well at Alpine.
It feels like someone read my mind and wrote this article. so true... sadly the past 7 seasons has been mostly about the car not the driver which has made F1 a real boring long stint. F1 is losing more fans than gaining them... I look forward to 2022 and if things don't change I'm probably the next one of those statistics
They are bringing back a dinosaur to try to spice things up. Wont work and I think that Ocon will give him a lot of trouble.
Alfonso your comments are refreshingly honest . Look forward to seeing you on the grid again.
I'm so glad he's back. He was always exciting to watch and my favorite. Hope he's fast right out of the box though - getting older!
I am certain that Alonso will be on several Podiums, I hope that he will win some F1 races. Alonso has always spoke his mind and I believe that will continue, good or bad. David
I have said for years that you can take any driver and put them is a Mercedes and you will see the difference. Machines make the difference, not the drivers!
I have said for years thought that you can take any driver and put them is a Mercedes and you will see the difference. Machines make the difference, not the drivers!
If it’s machines that make the difference then Bottas should be performing on the same level as Hamilton. There is more to racing than just the car tyre management being one important area. Hamilton quite often over-rides his pit crew when they want him to come in. And 99% of the time he is shown to have made the correct decision. I don’t particularly like the guy but he can drive and he proves it week in and week out.
Yeah, no. Bottas is a good driver but not a great. He was the one getting a spanking from the guy who doesn't fit into and had not driven the exact same car before.
As far as Lewis, yes I can remember him challenging his team on many occasions, usually sounding like a scared little kid pitching a temper tantrum. You know like in Monaco a few years ago when he needed his hand held through the 2nd half of the race. Yes he won, no he was not allowed to override his instructions.
It will all end in tears. Ricardo pushed that car to its absolute limits, Alonso should stay retired he is full of bullshit.
Spot on, don't get me wrong he was one of the best when he was at his peak, but now I think he will be challenged by Ocon and won't touch what Ricky has done.
We will see, I think Alonso still has Gas in the Tank, David.
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