Giancarlo Fisichella has revealed why he rates "political" Fernando Alonso as the strongest teammate he had in Formula 1. The Italian – who competed in F1 between 1996 and 2009 – raced alongside Alonso at Renault during the Spaniard's title-winning years of 2005 and 2006. Reflecting on what stood out about Alonso, Fisichella recalled the two-time World Champion's ability to perform well in many areas as a key strength. "Fernando was my strongest teammate," Fisichella told the Beyond The Grid podcast. "Fernando was very good in all circumstances; low grip, high grip, and especially in the race, he was very, very consistent and focused. "He didn't make a lot of mistakes and was good in communication with the team, with the radio."
Alonso's 'political' side
As well as his on-track skills, Fisichella acknowledged Alonso's strength in off-track matters. "He was also political, but that's part of the job. So Fernando was a very strong teammate," he explained. "In the team, he was quite strong. [Flavio] Briatore was his manager. The main sponsor was Telefonica, which was a Spanish sponsor. So he was quite strong within the team." When asked if he felt that the team favoured Alonso above him given these factors, Fisichella responded: "No, I think once you lose the possibility to fight for the championship, you need to work for the team, for your teammate."
Having Alonso as a reference
Overall, Fisichella believes that he enjoyed a good relationship with Alonso during their time as teammates. "We worked together very well," the three-time race winner said. "We were sharing telemetry, ideas, problems with the car. Before the race, sometimes we were playing cards with Flavio Briatore and our physio. It was so fun. "It was important for the atmosphere in the team, to work well together, to have a good friendship with your teammate. Once we were on the track, we were so focused. "It was important to have a good teammate like Fernando as a reference, or for him having me as a reference on lap time. It was always a good point to find the limit for each other."
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