0
Fernando Alonso would still fight Max Verstappen for victories if both drivers had equal machinery, according to Pedro de la Rosa. The former Formula 1 driver and current Aston Martin ambassador told Mundo Deportivo that the 44-year-old Spaniard remains one of the finest racers on the grid, despite a difficult season in uncompetitive equipment. De la Rosa's assessment carries weight: he has worked directly with both Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, scrutinising their data and sharing track time. His claim reignites the familiar debate over whether driver quality can be separated from car performance in the modern era.
Experience compensates for age
Alonso's 2024 campaign has been frustrating. Aston Martin's struggles have left the two-time world champion mired in the midfield, but De la Rosa insists that context is everything. He argues that Alonso's vast experience eliminates the adaptation period that handicaps younger or less seasoned drivers.
"Fernando has so much experience that he doesn't need warm-up laps," De la Rosa explained. "Put him on any circuit in a competitive car and he'll be at the front from his first qualifying run. That's a quality you see in very few drivers."
The ambassador went further, suggesting that Alonso's ability to extract maximum performance immediately would allow him to compete with Verstappen on equal terms. "Give Fernando the same car as Max Verstappen and they will one hundred percent fight each other for wins. He adapts incredibly quickly to the conditions and knows instantly where the limit is. That adaptability continues to amaze me most. He attacks the corners aggressively and that's precisely where he gains enormous amounts of time."
Verstappen's dominance acknowledged
De la Rosa was careful not to diminish Verstappen's achievements. He described the Dutchman as potentially the greatest driver Formula 1 has ever produced, though he conceded that only time will deliver a definitive verdict.
"Verstappen might be the best driver ever, although only time will tell for certain," De la Rosa said. "I admire him enormously because he's currently driving at an incredible level and seems to be a step ahead of his rivals."
Verstappen's three consecutive world championships and his dominance in 2023, when he won 19 of 22 races, have prompted inevitable comparisons with the sport's all-time greats. Yet De la Rosa's perspective is shaped by direct exposure to the data and telemetry of drivers at the very top. Having worked with both Alonso and Hamilton, he has seen first-hand what separates elite talent from the rest of the field.
The equal-car counterfactual
"I've worked with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, seen their data, and shared the car with them," De la Rosa added. "That's why I know exactly how exceptional they are. Verstappen is a phenomenon, but I'm convinced that Alonso would be able to match him completely in equal equipment."
De la Rosa's confidence in Alonso reflects a broader question that haunts Formula 1: how much of success is driver, and how much is car? Verstappen's dominance in the Red Bull RB19 last season was near-absolute, but his struggles in the less stable RB20 this year have shown that even the sport's best cannot overcome fundamental machinery deficits. Alonso's 2023 campaign, in which he secured eight podiums in the early-season competitive AMR23, demonstrated he retains the speed and racecraft that won him two titles. Whether he could sustain that level across a full season against Verstappen in identical cars remains one of Formula 1's great unanswered questions.
Aston Martin's development trajectory will determine whether Alonso gets another chance to prove his ambassador's faith. If the Silverstone-based team can deliver a front-running car in 2025 or 2026, the paddock will have a partial answer to De la Rosa's hypothesis.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
C. Leclerc
983 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (0)
Login to reply