Fernando Alonso is better than Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen on an equal car: Naomi Schiff
Schiff ranks Alonso above Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton
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Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton sharing the podium at Qatar Gp 2021 (Credits: IMDb)
Motorsport journalist and broadcaster Naomi Schiff recently discussed the strengths of current Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton. They said that the Spaniard might be the better driver among the three regarding the sheer skill. According to her, Alonso might be a cut above the other two champions on the grid.
Schiff discussed why she thinks Alonso is better than Verstappen and Hamilton in a recent F1 Nation podcast edition. “When you say ‘if they all had equal equipment who would come out on top?’ Obviously, the equipment is not exactly the same between the teams we’re talking about and the drivers we’re talking about, but this is the battle we want to see, who’s going to outsmart who on track,” she said.
“Max is one of those drivers, so is Lewis, but I don’t know, as I’ve grown up always looking up to Lewis and as much as I grew up on karting circuits with Max, knowing that Max would win everything, I think Fernando might just trump them in the sense that he’s so much more mature.”
Schiff went on to praise Alonso’s on-track prowess and his racecraft, stating that he always seems to be three steps ahead of his competitors. “He’s the kind of guy that you wouldn’t want to play chess with, because he’s always three steps ahead, and that’s just in everything he’s thinking about when he’s in the car.”
“He knows where to put his car, he knows exactly where to make the moves, he knows exactly how to defend. I mean, to be fair, he’s spent over two decades in the sport, so he’s collected an insane amount of experience, which obviously is the most important thing, as time trumps everything else.”
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Alonso’s ability to extract the absolute maximum separates him from Max and Lewis
Schiff also emphasized Alonso’s ability to get the most out of his car, pointing to his performances in the Alpine last season. “In an on-track battle, he always gets the one up somehow, he just always knows exactly where to put his car. I think even last year, we could see it in the Alpine and that there were moments that he was just extracting the absolute maximum out of their car.”
Although Schiff acknowledges that Verstappen and Hamilton are both excellent drivers, she feels Alonso has the edge because of his experience and maturity.”He’s been in it for so long. So in my ideal world, I’d love to see them all in one team and who comes out on top,” she said.
Alonso has dragged every ounce of the performance from every car he has ever driven. Although the Spaniard has a lesser podium and wins tally than both, he did have a fair share of bad luck driving subpar machinery in his prime. But despite this, Alonso has always managed to punch above his weight and compete with the best drivers in the world.
Former F1 driver and current commentator Karun Chandhok echoed Schiff’s sentiments, praising Alonso’s love of racing. “This is a guy who just loves racing,” Chandhok said. “He loves driving. On days off, he’s at his own go-kart track driving around with the 15 year old kids in his academy. That’s what he gets a buzz out of day in, day out.”
While opinions on who the best driver in Formula One is will always vary, Schiff’s comments have certainly sparked a debate among fans and experts alike. With Alonso showing flashes of his old form in Bahrain, it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his level of performance throughout the rest of the season and prove Schiff right.
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Justin P Joy
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