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"Fernando Alonso is a beast"

2023-04-29T08:38:05.059Z


INTERVIEW- On the occasion of the Baku GP, the former driver's engineer at Renault returns to the formidable longevity of the Spaniard, a surprise of the F1 season. And bet: Alonso will win a GP this season.


He has not yet won and is not a favorite for the title of world champion, but he is the darling of the new Formula 1 season. Fernando Alonso, 41 years old and two world crowns, is living again.

Driving a well-bred Aston Martin, he has three podiums in three races.

A real renaissance for the Spaniard who had left Alpine with a bang at the end of last season.

In Baku, for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Alonso will try to win a 33rd victory.

His former engineer at Renault and McLaren between 2002 and 2009 and now technical director of the Oreca group, Rémi Taffin, talks about the driver's tremendous longevity.

The Frenchman confesses to exchanging every weekend by text message with the pilot: "

At the moment, the messages end with a smiley thumb

"

To discover

  • Formula 1: the calendar of the season

  • Formula 1: manufacturers' classification

  • Formula 1: drivers classification

Le Figaro.- Three races, three podiums.

At the wheel of his Aston Martin, Fernand Alonso is excelling at the start of the season.

Are you surprised by its level of performance.

?

Rémi TAFFIN.-

The answer is no, absolutely not.

For a good and simple reason: the character and the pilot have not changed.

The car is better and this driver needs to have a high-performance machine to be at this level.

When Fernando has 100 potential on hand, he always shoots at least 101%.

Before he was fighting for points, it didn't show much.

He is fighting for the podium today, so it shows a lot.

It is always said that a driver's first opponent is his teammate.

And we see that Alonso is more efficient than Lance Stroll even though they have the same car.

He is a fast, intelligent driver who knows how to adapt to a team.

He knows all the tricks to pull in his sport.

Is there a spirit of revenge in him vis-à-vis

Alpine who dismissed him brutally

by not offering him a long contract

?

The message he sends is: “

Look at me, I'm 41 and I'm not finished.

I don't know if you can call it '

revenge '.

because he's not a vengeful person.

Fernando is someone who takes challenges when they come to him.

He always wants to have the best weapons.

And when he has them, he can perform super well.

He is still in Formula 1 at his age, because he still deserves his place, it is still a treat to see him drive and he also demonstrates that when you are in good shape and you are 40 years old, you can always be in front. .

What is most remarkable is his mentality: you have to have the niaque, 20 years later.

I remember Rosberg who ended his career after his first title in 2016. He said: “It takes so much energy that I quit.

It's too exhausting.

The years nourish him.

Read alsoNico Rosberg at Figaro: “Winning the title was my Everest”

You knew him 20 years ago at Renault.

What has changed between the Alonso of 2003 and that of 2023?

It is his experience.

The talent, he already had it.

The energy he already had.

Determination, too.

This symbiosis with his machine and his team, he already had it.

This desire to win is exactly the same.

The big difference is that he knows the rules of the game by heart.

He knows all the tips and tricks.

He has incredible race science.

If he completes lap number 2, he already knows what he will do in lap number 18.

He's an instinctive pilot...

Yes, but who manages to control their instincts, because in this sport everything is played out to the millimeter.

He's a beast: when he's in front, he knows how not to be overtaken.

But also when you have to be overtaken, because he can't fight.

When he's behind, he examines everything that's going on and organizes what's going to happen.

But isn't Fernando Alonso's best overtaking his defense?

We all remember his heroic defense against Michael

Schumacher at Imola in 2005.

Yes.

Remember the Hungarian GP won by his teammate at the time, Esteban Ocon (in 2021, editor's note).

His victory is possible because Fernando kept Hamilton behind him for six or seven laps.

Alonso manages to model the eight corners that will arrive to place himself in the best place and make it difficult to overtake.

I think that in racing, there is no better than him.

Is it less aggressive than before?

When you start a career, you have to know how to assert yourself even if it means going off track.

The message we send at this moment is this: “

If you're looking for me, it might not pass

”.

Max Verstappen was a bit like that.

Then, when we have succeeded in defining which driver we are, we calculate the risks.

He is perhaps wiser, even if he does not hesitate to throw spikes to try to destabilize his opponents.

What inspires him above all: motor racing.

He wants to drive the fastest cars in the world.

Whether it's a V10, a V8, a hybrid engine, a dual hybrid, it doesn't matter... its objective is to win races.

He does whatever it takes to fulfill his purpose.

How did you work with Fernando Alonso?

I have a special relationship with him.

I worked with him from 2002 to 2009. We learned a bit about Formula 1 together.

He learns very quickly and he gives back a lot.

He gives without counting when he trusts.

He understands quickly.

He takes responsibility and knows how to delegate.

We worked for him, he let us do it, and when it was qualifying, it was up to him to play.

In any car, there remains a threat.

Remi Taffin

What is your best memory with him?

You cited Imola in 2005, when he defended a whole race over Schumacher.

What people don't know, at the time when the engines had to do two races in a row, we had a problem on Giancarlo Fisichella's engine.

We made the decision, all together, to try to keep Fernando's engine, which was showing signs of weakness.

He trusted us.

He eventually won the race.

The first world title was fantastic.

The second was very complicated: we had broken an engine at Monza.

Two races from the end, he was ten points behind Schumacher.

We were downcast.

He came to tell us: “

It's not over

”.

He became world champion...

When we know his talent and look at his prize list, shouldn't we have some regrets?

Has he always made the right career choices?

It's because you're looking at the glass half empty (Laughs).

Do you know many of the double Formula 1 world champions?

In the statistics, he is in the top ten.

We can say that in 20 years, he could have won more.

It's true.

But there are many others who in 20 years have not won anything.

We explain that his transfers were bad choices because we know the final result.

But all his choices were made because they are linked to his way of being.

He was chosen by Renault, he built Renault to the title.

Then, he always wanted to drive for McLaren;

the opportunity arose, he went.

He had in mind to drive for Ferrari, he seized the opportunity.

And so on.

If he had gone to Red Bull in 2008, he might have been world champion ten times.

But would these titles have the same flavor?

In any car, there remains a threat.

In a Formula 1 in full revival, is Fernando Alonso the comforter of the discipline?

He is the one who travels through time.

He is a samurai with a code of conduct, who has dedicated his life to an art.

It denotes.

Will he win a race this season?

Yes.

There are 23 races and I can't believe the Red Bulls aren't going to falter.

And know that if Verstappen and Perez have a problem, he will be there.

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2023-04-29

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