Despite the friendship that one day united them, Mark Webber criticized the return of Fernando Alonso to Formula 1. The former driver, now a commentator and representative of young talents, considered that the Asturian should make room for a younger driver. Now, with six races remaining before the end of the World Cup, Webber has had no choice but to surrender to the magic of Alonso.
He has done it in his own way, and it is that for the Australian Fernando Alonso he is accusing his 40 years in the qualifying sessions on Saturdays: “What if Alonso has those two final tenths that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have in the session of classification? I do not believe it. What if he has the knowledge, the nose on how to squeeze a Sunday race with his car? Incredibly. This guy is still a bit of a magician . We know. His starts, if you see all his onboards … he is the last driver you would like to meet on the track ”, admitted Mark Webber on the F1 Nation podcast.
The former Red Bull driver has also lamented the incident between Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso during the Turkish Grand Prix. The Oviedo faced this race fifth, his best starting position since Japan in 2014. However, after being rammed by the French rider, Alonso was relegated to the back of the grid. Gasly , meanwhile, received a five-second penalty for an incident difficult to judge according to Mark Webber. “That crash at Turn 2 was disappointing, I think Gasly had a bit more space inside and Pérez also had room, but I also think Gasly lost some downforce , it’s difficult for the FIA to decide. Gasly is normally quite clean in driving fights, he has a lot of experience. Hard penalty for him ”, finished the Australian.
Webber’s opposition
Questioned in this regard last April, Mark Webber was positioned against the return of Fernando Alonso to Formula 1. “ I have a lot of respect for Fernando , he is one of the best against whom I have raced. What he did against Michael Schumacher, what he did against Lewis Hamilton… he did some amazing things on Sundays. There weren’t many better ones, ”he began by saying.
“ But there is a point where… I love to see the young people arrive . I love to ask: ‘where is the next Max Verstappen?’, ‘Where is the next Charles Leclerc?’ They are great for the sport, ”Mark Webber continued. “Fernando is a great name, incredible for Spain, great for sport, but I just wish that our sport should look to the future and find the Alonso it found 20 years ago, ” he concluded.
Alonso’s overwhelming response
Fernando Alonso has gone from less to more this season and already has 12 more points for Alpine than his teammate, Esteban Ocon. For this reason, despite having recently turned 40, the French team extended its contract for one more season. “ You have to be fast on the stopwatch, no matter how old you are . If I performed like I did before Baku, I would not be ahead of my teammate or on the level of Formula 1, and I would be taking the seat of a young driver . But we still haven’t seen a young rider who comes and is faster than me with the stopwatch ”, argued Alonso .
Regarding the possibility of continuing beyond next season, the Spaniard added: “2023 will be tempting, we will all see the progress of the team and we will learn. It does not depend on the team or the performance of the car, it depends on me. If I perform well, I am competitive and I am in front of my partner, I will decide that I continue. If not, it will be better not to continue ”.
The magic of Alonso
Like Mark Webber, Marcin Budkowski, CEO of Alpine, has hinted this season to the magic of Fernando Alonso. “We are seeing a very exciting season, with different winners and many drivers on the podium. We saw Esteban Ocon win his first race in Hungary and Fernando Alonso has delivered magical performances in several races . It is a great moment for Formula 1 and we hope to remain competitive in the face of the new regulations in 2022 ”, he declared after the Russian Grand Prix, a race in which Alonso touched the podium.
