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Fernando Alonso has named Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Michael Schumacher as his “biggest rivals” in F1.
Alonso said that throughout the time he spent competing against the trio, he “learnt a lot” and “shared a lot”. Speaking to Spanish daily Diario AS, the two-time F1 world champion said:
“My biggest rival? Lewis and Seb, both of them, I spent most of my time here with them. Michael (Schumacher) will always be my first choice because I fought against him for the titles, and I grew up watching him dominate F1. I learned a lot from Michael, then with Lewis and Seb, the three of us have shared a lot.”
Among the most successful drivers to have ever raced in the sport, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Michael Schumacher have each battled Fernando Alonso for the championship across different seasons.
While Alonso twice triumphed over Schumacher, he has had less success while battling Hamilton and Vettel. Vettel, in particular, denied Alonso the opportunity to add more titles to his tally between 2010 and 2013.
Despite their past rivalry, Fernando Alonso said that he will miss not being able to race Sebastian Vettel in the upcoming season after having regularly battled the German for so long. He said:
“We will miss him after so many years fighting and sharing the track. In all of his titles, I was somehow there too. A great champion and a great man, with values and a lovely family. I imagine that family is a reason for his decision. I wish him the best and I hope he continues in the paddock.”
Fernando Alonso “trusting” the Alpine project to be more competitive from 2023
Following speculation about a possible move to Aston Martin following Sebastian Vettel’s departure, Fernando Alonso has said that he is open to opportunities elsewhere. Concurrently, however, he reiterated that he needs to have trust in the Alpine project to be more competitive next year.
Since his return to the sport at the start of last season, Alonso has made no secret of his desire to compete at the front of the grid once again. Speaking ahead of the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, he said:
“If you have an opportunity for 2023 with those three teams, you will try to join forces. There is no opportunity, so you just need to trust some of the projects, wishing that they are competitive next year. It’s all a hope. But as I said, my challenge is big here, to try to win in this comeback.”
He added, saying:
“It’s not easy, I’m not in any of those three teams, but I don’t have other challenges in my head now. I don’t have a family, all the other categories, they are not giving me any appeal at the moment. So, I’m happy where I am.”
While Alpine has failed to yield the kind of performance that Alonso was hoping for with fresh regulations in 2022, the French team has nevertheless made a significant step forward compared to last season.
Given their momentum, the team is likely to continue improving throughout the rest of this season and start the upcoming season in a much stronger position.
