Piastri: Alonso's statistics "do not come close" to reflecting his talent

(Motorsport-Total.com) - It's been 20 years since Fernando Alonso won his first Formula 1 world championship title. In 2005, the 24-year-old crowned himself the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history with Renault.

A year later, Alonso triumphed again with the French team, but the second title would also be his (so far) last in the premier class. Many experts, however, believe that Alonso actually deserved more world championships.

Current championship leader Oscar Piastri shares a similar view. "I have a lot of respect for Fernando. I think he's definitely a driver whose statistics don't tell the whole story of his career," the McLaren driver emphasizes.

He even considers Alonso "one of the best drivers this sport has ever seen," said Piastri, who worked with Alonso for some time at Alpine. While Alonso was a regular driver there, Piastri served as a test driver for the French team in 2021 and 2022.

"I get along well with him," says Piastri, revealing: "Watching him at work a few years ago was very enlightening for me, just because of the questions he asked and the things he thought about."

Alonso's career marked by failed transfers

"Ultimately, that probably indirectly contributed to me learning a little faster. I think he's a fantastic rider, and I think his results and statistics don't even come close to reflecting his full story," Piastri said.

After his two world championship titles with Renault, Alonso's career was primarily marked by moves that didn't bring the desired success. In 2007, he moved to McLaren, but fell out with team boss Ron Dennis and returned to Renault after just one year.

In 2010, he moved to Ferrari, where he finished runner-up to Sebastian Vettel three times in the following years, but never won another title. In 2015, he moved back to McLaren, but with the Honda engine, he was only a runner-up.

After the 2018 season, he initially retired from Formula 1, but returned to Enstone for a third time in 2021. After two years there, he finally moved to Aston Martin in 2023, where he still drives today.

Alonso's last Formula 1 victory at his home race in Spain in 2013 was more than twelve years ago.