While Lewis Hamilton has more talent, Fernando Alonso is the most complete driver of the pair, Nick Heidfeld claims.
The German often found himself racing with the pair during his time at BMW, particularly in 2008 when the team finished third in the Constructors' standings behind McLaren but ahead of Renault.
And offering his thoughts on the debate over who was ahead, the veteran 183 races gave the edge to the Spaniard.
“I would say the most complete driver is Alonso, probably the most talented is Hamilton but the best overall, in my eye, was Alonso,” Heidfeld told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast.
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Last year though was the first since 2002 that Alonso wasn't on the F1 grid after leaving his seat at McLaren at the end of 2018.
Since then, however, there have been regular rumours about a future comeback and Heidfeld is among those keen to see the 38-year-old return.
“[Alonso] is, for me, definitely the guy I would like to see most back in Formula 1. When he stopped, when he quit, I thought then I would like to see him race again because he is, for sure, one of the best.
“He was world champion, but he would have deserved to be world champion more times," the former BMW driver added.
“It was fantastic to watch him and as extreme as he was sometimes out of the car, some stories you hear, what he did in the team and how he played certain things, which in the end probably were also not always to his own benefit.
“I did love to race against him. He was probably the driver I enjoyed most racing against on the circuit because he was always fair – well, not always! Most of the time…”
