Talking a good fight before it has even begun, Fernando Alonso says he is better than Lewis, Max, Seb et al.

Having predicted that "there will be a few surprises" on Saturday, when "everyone has low fuel, the fastest tyres fitted and full power from the engine", never one to shy away from controversy, Fernando Alonso has now turned his attention to his fellow drivers.

Asked by the BBC, if, despite being away from the sport, he is still as good as Lewis Hamilton, fellow champions, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, the Spaniard was in no doubt: "No... I'm better," he replied.

"It's going to be great, I'm looking forward (to it)," he continued. "There are some young, talented guys that've been showing great performance in the younger categories.

"And then we still have the champions. Lewis, Sebastian, Kimi, Verstappen... even if he is one of the young ones, of the younger generation, he has raced at the top level already for four years, five years.

"We have a very competitive grid and it's going to be a challenge to meet everyone on track.

"I'm back with the aim of doing well obviously," he added, "and the aim of having the chance to win races, hoping to fight for championships.

"We understand that this year it's not going to be possible because the regulations are a little bit different," he admitted, "but basically the same as previous years, so I don't see any miracles happening there.

"But in 2022 there's a chance with the new regulations mixing a little bit the order of the grid and we want to be one of those teams that surprises everybody and to do that we need to work hard this year."

Referring to the cycling accident that caused him to miss the team launch and will see him start the season with a titanium plate in his jaw, he said: "I was lucky in the end. I tell you that I was worried in the moment that it happened, because I'd been waiting all of the second part of last year, and obviously you're preparing for the team presentation and the first test, and then suddenly you find yourself in a hospital after a bike accident, and you don't know how long it's going to take to recover.

"Luckily the first answer from the doctors was that in ten days or one week I should be ready to go, so I had to stay at home for one week with not much activity, but after that I was perfectly fine."

It's like he's never been away.

LATEST NEWS

more news >

LATEST IMAGES

galleries >

Click to go to the main galleries section

READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Spindoctor, 26/03/2021 9:23

"Great sense of irony from ageing superstar driver, who almost certainly made his comment with a wicked gleam in his eye!
Alonso really is very good, but he did frequently lose out to a rookie in the same car, so who'd the better of the two?
My guess is it's a case of 'horses for courses'. In the right Team & car Alonso is probably unbeatable by anybody in the same, similarly when Hamilton is in the 'zone' with Team & car (as he was for a time at McLaren) he too is virtually unbeatable assuming a reliable car.....

Whatever. It should be fun to see Alonso scything through the field with amazing overtakes - assuming his skill still matches his ego."

Rating: Positive (1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

2. Posted by kenji, 25/03/2021 23:47

"Self confidence and a healthy ego is what drives Fred along and believe me, he has it by the bucket load. What it actually says, to the other drivers, is watch out here I come. He has to deliver and he does because at the end of the day no one does more to wring every ounce out of his car. One can only admire his drive. To cap it all off he is not afraid to speak his mind. That can be good and bad but at least he owns it. Entertaining times ahead. "

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

3. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 25/03/2021 14:31

"Launch control helped Alonso back in the day. Was incredible watching the Renault off the starting line back then."

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

4. Posted by equator180, 25/03/2021 4:37

"Wow, the limes are bitter.........which driver on the grid asked this question, replies gee golly shucks darn gosh, I'm only 10th best, darn. Any driver not thinking they are the best bean in the bag should not be driving in F1. In addition he probably said this with a bit of a grin. "

Rating: Positive (7) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

5. Posted by kenji, 24/03/2021 23:53

"Thank you Fred, you deserve the accolades for sheer 'chutzpah'... I like his supreme confidence heading into this season. Hell, if you don't believe in yourself why bother going to the grid?. Whilst no one can be certain of where Alonso will finish up in the pecking order I am certain that he'll be giving it his all if for nothing else than to prove the haters wrong. He is fearless and gives great value to F1. What you see is what you get...go Fred."

Rating: Positive (4) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

6. Posted by jcr, 24/03/2021 18:59

"FARMBANK. Hes been gone for 4 years, How can you compare statistics, Typical Hammi speak
HUSSAINALM, Yea I can still see the grin when he said it."

Rating: Negative (-1) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

7. Posted by Fambank, 24/03/2021 18:47

"I am a HUGE fan of Verstappen, and although he still has a lot to prove, I think and hope he will be a multi WDC sometime.

Alonso however claiming to be better than Hamilton, who is racing in the same era, so directly comparable,
has triple the number of GP wins and 3.5 times the WDC titles.

I´d call that extremely rich, and while not a Hamilton fan, I see his qualities and racecraft.

TL;DR Alonso is NOT better."

Rating: Negative (-3) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

8. Posted by Wokingchap, 24/03/2021 17:48

"The 'young ones' could certainly teach him a thing or two about modesty."

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

9. Posted by JamesD, 24/03/2021 16:56

"Seems Fernando took a blow to the head as well as his jaw when he was knocked off his bike !!"

Rating: Positive (3) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

10. Posted by hussainahm, 24/03/2021 16:52

"What are the chances he laughed after saying that sarcastically?"

Rating: Positive (4) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

"I'm better" than the rest, claims Alonso

LATEST NEWS

RELATED ARTICLES

LATEST IMAGES

POST A COMMENT

Post your comment

READERS COMMENTS

Share this page