Oscar Piastri has nothing but praise for Fernando Alonso, calling him “one of the best drivers that the sport has seen.”
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Fernando,” Piastri told GPblog during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend.
“I think he’s definitely a driver where the stats don’t tell the full story of his career,” he added.
The young Australian believes Alonso’s impact on Formula 1 goes far beyond what the record books show.
“He’s someone that’s very fierce on track, but he’s obviously an incredible driver and has been through a lot of different eras.”
Piastri and Alonso briefly shared garage space at Alpine, where the Australian was learning the ropes while Alonso was making his F1 comeback after a two-year break. During that time away, the Spaniard wasn’t exactly putting his feet up – he won WEC titles, conquered Le Mans, and even took on the grueling Dakar Rally.
The experience of working alongside Alonso left a lasting impression on Piastri.
“Watching him work a few years ago was quite eye-opening in terms of the questions he was asking, the things he was thinking of,” Piastri revealed. “That ultimately probably indirectly sped up some of my learning a little bit.”
“He’s a fantastic driver and again, I don’t think his results or stats tell honestly even close to the story of his talent,” he concluded.
## Fernando Alonso guns for his third F1 world title
The 42-year-old veteran isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Alonso will enter the 2026 season with Aston Martin in a car designed by the legendary Adrian Newey – marking the first collaboration between these two giants of the sport. The British racing green team, now under Andy Cowell’s leadership, is pushing hard to climb to the top of Formula One.
This new chapter might finally give Alonso the equipment to match his incredible talent, potentially putting that elusive third world title and 33rd Grand Prix win within reach after all these years.
