Alonso: ‘I score 9 out of 10 in everything’

Mark Scott

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso has said that he scores himself a “nine in everything” as he continues his preparations to return to Formula 1 with Renault.

Alonso will be back on the grid in 2021 as he aims to spearhead the team into a new era under the Alpine banner.

The Spaniard has a new Amazon Prime documentary series called ‘Fernando’ and was asked at a press conference about whether he agreed with a statement that he was one of Formula 1’s most complete drivers.

“I must agree,” Alonso said, as quoted by the official Formula 1 website.

“I consider myself to be quite complete…maybe I score nine in everything. Maybe there’s a faster driver in wet conditions or on Saturday or on the starting line, one that’s better than me.

“But I think I’m close to the top in many circumstances and categories, and in the championship that’s a good thing to have.

“It’s like when you have any top athlete doing good in every single category, in the end you win.”

Fernando Alonso during his visit to the Renault factory
Fernando Alonso during his visit to the Renault factory

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Alonso’s confidence in his own ability stems from being able to display his racing talent across multiple series and engine specs. He also tries to emphasise his strengths whilst trying his best to mask his weaknesses.

“Throughout my career, when the engines were V10 or V8, we were there all the time, with Michelin, Pirelli, we were still there in the top positions.” he said.

“The wet conditions were always good for me, and now when I’ve gone to other categories, to go to the Dakar Rally and be amongst the top five was a good surprise for me.

“To jump in a car and be able to lead in the Indy 500 was a surprise to me.

“So you discover yourself as a driver who can adapt to any car, circumstance or category, and you start to harness that for your own benefit.

“You’re aware of your limitations, you try to hide them to not give any openings to your rivals or opponents. But your qualities, you try to emphasise them. And that’s what I intend to do.

“I try to emphasise them better than others.”

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