Fernando Alonso has 'huge amount of mental and physical strength and stamina to remain competitive at this level', feels two-time F1 champion

Former two-time F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen believes Fernando Alonso has a “huge amount of mental and physical strength and stamina” to remain competitive against the very best in F1.

Praising the Spaniard’s performance at last weekend’s Canadian GP, Hakkinen felt that Alonso’s performance in qualifying was “no small achievement”. In his column for Unibet, the Finn wrote:

“He still loves racing in F1, and he made the most of Saturday’s challenging weather conditions to grab P2 on the grid.”

He added, saying:

“It takes a huge amount of mental and physical strength and stamina to remain competitive at this level, so it’s no small achievement for Fernando to have been pushing for pole position.”

At 40 years of age, Fernando Alonso is currently the oldest driver on the grid, having made his F1 debut way back in 2001. While most of his peers have long retired from the sport, Alonso has managed to remain fiercely competitive against the mostly younger grid.

Expressing wonder at the Alpine drivers’ resilience, Mika Hakkinen felt that it was incredible that Alonso was still racing. He said:

“Fernando started racing in Formula 1 during my final season, so it’s incredible to see him on the front row of the grid more than 20 years later!”

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“Unlucky” safety car robbed Fernando Alonso of a better result in Montréal: Alpine team boss

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer believes Fernando Alonso could have finished a "place or two higher" at the 2022 F1 Canadian GP after starting on the front row if it wasn’t for “an unlucky” safety car period late in the race.

Despite the Spaniard’s car being down on power with reliability issues, Szafnauer felt that his pace was good enough to finish in the top-6. Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, he said:

“[He] had some issues with the car and, unfortunately, dropped back into seventh. But even with the car issues, had we not had the Safety Car, at the end, he would have finished a position or two higher. You have to remember, in changeable conditions, Fernando is on it very quickly. He gets up to speed much quicker than most drivers do. I think he’s always had it. He’s always been on it very quickly, and experience helps too.”

Despite his stellar pace throughout the weekend, Alonso’s Canadian GP failed to yield the results he had hoped for. Reliability issues, race interruptions, and a post-race time penalty cost him dearly and he could only salvage a meager two points from the event.