Why Berger says Alonso should have more than two titles

Former Grand Prix winner, Gerhard Berger fully believes that Alpine Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso should have a lot more than two world titles by now.

"He's a brilliant driver. I have to say, with his talent, Alonso could have five World Championship titles," Berger told Motorsport-Magazin.

After his two titles with Renault, Alonso moved to McLaren to partner then-rookie Lewis Hamilton, who fought him tooth and nail through the 2007 season, with eventual title winner Kimi Raikkonen stealing the crown by a single point ahead of second-placed Hamilton and Alonso settling for third.

After internal battles with Hamilton, Alonso then moved back to Renault, but the Enstone squad had lost their previous spark and he finished fifth in the 2008 drivers' standings.

Alonso should have five world titles, says Berger

Moving on to Ferrari in 2010, he ended up finishing second in the championship behind the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel.

From there it seemed as if he was on the verge, but just not close enough to take his third world title. His final year with Ferrari in 2014 ended without a single victory.

From there he moved to McLaren and their new partnership with Honda. This proved to be a massive failure and he walked away from the sport at the end of the 2018 season.

"After McLaren, he closed the door a bit because, if he were in a Mercedes, he would have five world titles. It seemed that he was carrying some kind of weight with him and every time I talked to him, he said, 'it just never goes right'," Berger continued.

"He's like Max, he never gives up on anything"

Alonso returned to the sport in 2021 to race for Alpine, where he remains today, his highlight to date being a front row start in the recent Canadian Grand Prix.

After everything he has been through during his time in the sport, and out of it, 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has compared his relentlessness to that of Max Verstappen.

"He's relentless. He's like Max, he never gives up on anything. He is race passionate and he's a fighter, he just never gives anything up. He's always hungry for more. It's amazing."