Fernando Alonso will turn 41 at the end of this month, and in this 19th season he has already broken the record for the longest career at the top of motorsport. Far from podiums and victories with his current team, the Asturian’s reputation has not diminished in the slightest, and the great figures in the paddock continue to refer to him as the great rider he never ceased to be.
The latest to compliment him was Damon Hill, F1 world champion in 1996 and current expert commentator on Sky Sports UK . Alonso’s contract ends this year, and although Alpine has already decided to renew him, there was the option of choosing to bet on the young Oscar Piastri , who is expected to end up at Williams.
When Hill was asked by Motorsport.com whether the French team should pick Alonso or give Piastri the chance, the Briton referred to an earlier question we had asked him about George Russell.
“Well, when you asked me if George was world champion fodder, of course, a number of drivers still have to get out of the way for him to be. I don’t see Lewis getting out of the way yet. And Fernando is… it’s like, no I know, like a limpet. He is not going to leave you, he is sticking hard to this sport, and he is complying, he is entertaining himself”.
Hill is clear that, with the right weapons, Alonso could achieve a third world championship that has eluded him since 2007, although he is not sure that he can have a winning car before retiring: “He probably has everything he needs… But I want I mean, if you give him a car to win the championship, I think he would win it, even at 41. But… where is he going to get one like that?
“And if he doesn’t get a winning car, there’s a limited number of years you can fight until it stops being fun.”
Despite going many years without a winning car, Hill does not see Alonso lose heart: “I haven’t seen his enthusiasm diminish at all. It’s incredible.” And then Hill goes back to what was really asked: “What was the question? Oh, was he going to go or stay! Well, we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?”
“I think the question is, with Oscar Piastri available, would you drop Fernando Alonso for someone who has never raced in F1? I wouldn’t. We’ll see anyway.”
A similar question was also answered by Karun Chandhok, another Sky Sports UK commentator. In his case, Motorsport.com wanted to know who he would lean towards for 2023 if it was Alpine.
“I think you can’t get rid of Fernando. He’s performing very well right now, why would you? You’d be an idiot to get rid of him,” said the former driver.
“I mean, look at the last two races, he’s absolutely wrecked them, hasn’t he? Yeah, okay, he’s going to be 41, but he just has the energy of a 21-year-old. It’s very, very impressive.”
“So unfortunately for Oscar, I don’t see why Alpine would want to get rid of Fernando right now. Yes, if you’re the Alpine team boss, between those two drivers it wouldn’t be Fernando who would be under pressure.”
With additional information from Oleg Karpov