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Fernando Alonso was the star of the Canadian GP weekend when he shocked everyone by dragging his Alpine to the front row of the grid. It was astounding what the two-time world champion was able to achieve with his car in the mixed conditions during qualifying; he not only beat both Mercedes, but he also beat Carlos Sainz in the qualifying session.
Speaking about Alonso's performance this past weekend, Nico Rosberg admitted how impressed he was with what the Alpine driver could do in the car. The 2016 F1 World Drivers' Champion also touched upon how the Spaniard could have achieved so much more if not for his tendency to burn bridges at every top team that he left in the past. He said:
“I am a big fan of [Fernando] Alonso at the moment. We all know that talent and skill-wise he is one of the best of all time. He sometimes lacked that social competence – he often had difficulties to be in the best teams with the best cars because they didn’t really want him anymore because of burning bridges in the past.”
Rosberg continued:
“That was definitely one of his weaknesses in his career in terms of getting even better results but in terms of talent he is surely one of the best of all time or right up there. For him to still drive like this is just so cool. I was so gutted for him [in Canada], I wanted him to be on the podium. I think Alpine did a little mistake, they could have taken a jump into the pit lane.”
Fernando Alonso is not taking up anyone's seat: Nico Rosberg
Fernando Alonso is in the last year of his contract at Alpine. The Spaniard has admitted that he wants to continue in F1 for a few more years but has yet to sign an extension. One of the reasons behind that is the presence of Oscar Piastri in the ranks at Alpine, and with Esteban Ocon already on a long-term contract, it will be a toss between Piastri and Alonso for that second seat at the team.
Nico Rosberg commented on Alonso's place in Alpine. He said:
“He is driving so awesomely there shouldn’t be any discussion that he is taking up anyone’s seat. He more than deserves to be where he is. It’s super spectacular the way he is driving, the fans all over the world are loving it and he is a great asset to the Alpine team.”
Fernando Alonso's front-row start was his first since the 2012 German GP. At 40 years old, the Spaniard is still going strong, and it is astounding to watch him still show up and perform at this level.
