Fernando Alonso names his one close driving friend from two decades in F1
Fernando Alonso highlighted just one team-mate as a friend from his time in F1.
Fernando Alonso has revealed he has only ever had one “friend” during his lengthy career in F1, Giancarlo Fisichella
Alonso and Fisichella shared a garage during their years at Renault and it was Fisichella who was alongside Alonso during the Spaniard’s two Championship-winning runs.
And even if Alonso has had 19 other team-mates in his career, Fisichella remains the only one the now-Aston Martin driver would describe as a “friend.”
Fernando Alonso speaks of sole friendship in F1
Alonso was speaking to DAZN as part of a documentary on his career but before he got to Fisichella, he spoke of which on the current grid he had the most trust in.
“Friends on the track, few, really, but in this photo there are two drivers with whom I get along very well,” Alonso said of a photo of him with the Red Bull pair.
“Both Max Verstappen and Checo [Sergio Perez], you can trust them on the track, as seen in Brazil, wheel to wheel, but Checo is a tough driver who fights with respect and with Verstappen too.”
He did say Verstappen was not always like that though and was “perhaps crazier” in his early career.
“In his beginnings he was perhaps crazier and had some incidents and some little problems, but now he is a very clean driver on the track, and also off the track. I see myself a little reflected in him, we have similar things: we like competition, we like driving and that’s it, we like sport more than spectacle, we arrive at the circuit with team clothes, with a backpack, we race on Saturday and on Sunday and we take the backpack on Sunday and return home.
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“And if we have a little free time we go drive a four-wheeled vehicle, a kart or something like that, we like simple things and racing, and I like that about Max, who hasn’t changed after three World Championships.”.
As for those he would describe as an actual fiend, it was only Fisichella who fit the bill.
“Driving friends, I would say that I have a friendship with Fisichella, from those years at Renault. And it arose a little thanks to Flavio Briatore as well, those card games, those trips to Kenya to Flavio’s house to do the preseason… you need a boss who has that charisma, who unites the team. And I do have a bit of a friendship with Fisichella.”
“Beyond Fisichella I can like someone or be great, But I wouldn’t go on a vacation with him, or go skiing, I wouldn’t make plans… so it’s difficult.”
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