14/11/2019
NEWS STORY
Now looking on from the sidelines as he pursues an alternative career path in motor sport, Fernando Alonso admits that when he does watch F1, it is Max Verstappen that excites him the most.
The Spaniard, who left F1 at the end of last year, has been linked with a comeback, possibly in 2021, and in the meantime, as he looks ahead to his Dakar Rally debut, while admitting that he only occasionally watches F1 on TV, Alonso admits that he finds Max Verstappen to be the sport's most exciting driver.
"In F1 it is difficult to choose the best because it changes a lot from year to year and from car to car," he replied, when asked at a press conference in Buenos Aires who he regards as the best driver on the grid.
"There are drivers who are fast over one lap and others at the starts," he continued. "There are others who are consistent and others who are very aggressive.
"I would say that right now it is Max Verstappen," he admitted. "He is a driver that I like to follow. This year I've watched the races on television and I like to see him because he is always in attack mode.
"If you see that he is third and catches the guy in second, you know he won't stay there. You know he will try at some point to get past and that to the fans is something exciting."
However, like former teammate, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel, the Spaniard admits that the Dutchman's, elbows-out, aggressive style has its consequences.
"That aggressiveness makes you lose points because you have more problems," he said. "It is difficult to find the balance."
However, in terms of the best racing driver, the Spaniard admits that racing in other formulae has opened his eyes to other great drivers out there.
"Having raced in endurance, in Daytona, in the Indy 500 and in some rallies over the years, you see drivers from whom you learn a lot and they teach you a lot. It's hard to pick just one driver."
Check out our Thursday gallery from Interlagos, here.