Fernando Alonso is “one of the best” but never had the team to match the records set by Lewis Hamilton & Michael Schumacher.
That is the claim of four-time Formula 1 champion and Renault advisor Alain Prost as he prepares to work with the Spaniard at what will become Alpine next season.
Alonso’s ability has never really been doubted, after all, it was he and Renault who finally dethroned Schumacher and Ferrari in 2005.
Instead, a combination of poor career moves and being in the wrong team at a time when others have dominated has meant his record in F1 isn’t perhaps what it should be.
“I never say if one or the other is number one, but Fernando is one of the best of his generation,” Prost told Spain’s AS.
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“I highlight his ability in race conditions because he will always stand up to the competition, he is a fighter.
“I have spoken to him several times since he was confirmed [at Alpine for 2021] and you can see his involvement and the motivations he has in the team. He will go for it, and his motivation is very important for us.
“We can be sure that he will be at the highest level. He will always fight, even for one point, that is fundamental.
“But to win as many races as Lewis and Michael you need to be in a team with a long history of success,” the Frenchman added.
“That has not been the case for Fernando in Renault, McLaren or Ferrari. Sometimes you need a bit of luck, but he certainly deserves as a driver much more than he has achieved.”
On Wednesday, Alonso picked up his preparations ahead of his F1 return with the first of a two-day test in Bahrain driving a 2018 Renault.
But while the 39-year-old had claimed he’d only come back to F1 to win, Prost knows it will be at least another year before that could happen.
“Fernando said that, but he has also said more recently that it will be difficult to win because it is realistic,” he said.
“You know me, I am also a realist, I will never say stupid things about when we are going to win with Fernando because you don’t know. The most important thing is what we do today, we show an upward trend and we have built the foundation for the team.
“We are at one level and we want to reach another. We don’t know when we’ll be there, but the most important thing is to reach it. We cannot estimate where we will be in 2022 because of the new rules and the budget cap and because of the performance level of the rivals.
“We do not have a large budget and from next year we will be at the same level.
“As for the question about Fernando, it is good that he sees next year as a time we can improve the car before 2022. He will fight with a good, decent car, but not a winner. In the future, we will see.”