Michael Schumacher impressed Fernando Alonso the most in this regard: "He and Ferrari were unbeatable"

Fernando Alonso revealed that he was impressed by the dominance of former rival and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and Ferrari during his early years in Formula 1.

The Spaniard shared some of the most memorable battles with Schumacher during their championship tussle in the early 2000s, when he was driving for Renault.

Speaking to Aston Martin F1's official website, the two-world champion called Schumacher 'unbeatable' and also revealed what impressed him most about the German while racing against him.

He said:

"Michael didn't have bad days. Michael never underperformed. That's what impressed me the most when I got to Formula One and especially when I fought with him for the championship. Previously, in all my career and different categories, my rivals had some bad days and those were the days when you would capitalize – you would score many more points than them."

The 41-year stated that Schumacher managed to find a way to end up on the podium despite things not working in his favour. He praised the German for his determination in securing good results by making the most of every opportunity that came his way.

He said:

"With Michael, that didn't happen. He and Ferrari were unbeatable most of the time, but even when they didn't have the car, the tires, or whatever working in the right window, Michael still finished second or third."

He added:

"Even after a bad free practice or a bad qualifying, you would still find Michael on the podium on Sunday. He had this tenacity, this willingness to exploit any opportunity – to minimize the damage on the bad days and maximize the good days. His determination was outstanding."

Alonso was able to break the Ferrari legend's dominance when he won the Drivers' Championship in 2005 and 2006.

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"We thought for many years that Michael Schumacher was unbeatable" - Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso stated that during his early years in F1, he thought that Michael Schumacher had reached a level that would never be touched by anyone in history.

The Spaniard said:

"We thought for many years that Michael Schumacher was unbeatable and had maybe reached a level that no one had in the history of Formula One."

Michael Schumacher initially retired from the sport after finishing second, behind Alonso, in 2006. He later returned to the sport with Mercedes in 2010 and drove for three seasons before saying his final goodbye in 2012.