Alonso deserves more from F1: 'Time will give him what he is missing'

It is now 11 years since Fernando Alonso last won a grand prix, and 18 since he clinched the second of his back-to-back F1 drivers' titles.

Yet still Alonso continues in a sport many drivers would have turned their back on by now, content to rest on the laurels they had garnered from what would rightly be perceived as the peak of their careers.

As Alonso has proven over time, however, he is no ordinary driver, with his hunger and desire to succeed again resulting in him opting to return to F1 after a two-year break, and perhaps more remarkably, signing a new contract this year that will see him still competing in the sport when he is 45.

Pedro de la Rosa, a close friend and ally of Alonso, and who now serves as an ambassador with Aston Martin, has been left amazed by his fellow Spaniard's yearning for success, proving that age is no barrier when you still have the mental and physical capability to continue.

De la Rosa, who drove in 104 grands prix from 1999 to 2012, feels Alonso has given so much to F1 that he is deserving of so much more, in particular his long wait for the elusive 33rd victory.

"I always think that at the end of the day, or the end of any story, everything will come, everything will balance itself, and he deserves so much more from the sport," said De la Rosa, speaking to RacingNews365.

"Not because of how much he's put into it, because I think other drivers have made that effort and have pushed themselves since they were kids as well, but because his passion, dedication, and raw talent, deserve a lot more than two world championships.

"So I always say to myself that time will give him what he's missing right now.

"In the same sense, I'm very critical with myself. I've always said not winning a race or a world championship was because other guys did a better job. I've always been very clear on that because it's important to sleep well at night.

"The moment you start thinking there are injustices, it is not good for any sportsman. You have to believe that what you have is what you deserve, but Fernando deserves more basically."

'If I disappear, nothing will change'

When Alonso signed for Aston Martin, he was able to take part in the test for the team at the end of the 2022 season, shortly after De la Rosa had taken up his new role with Aston Martin.

As compatriots, and as friends over the years, they have been able to forge an alliance that has proven an asset for the team, although De la Rosa maintains that Alonso has no need of his services.

"The first, and most important for me on my side, was the will to be back," said De la Rosa on his decision to join Aston Martin. "That was not linked to Fernando. Had Fernando not been here, I would have signed as well.

"The fact is I'm happy, he's here, he's a friend. He's more than a friend. He's an asset for any team, and it is great to work with him because you keep learning with a guy like him every time, even at my age.

"He knows me very well, I know him very well, so it just adds a bit of confidence in the work we have in front of us and the challenges we will face.

"But I think that he doesn't need me at all. Honestly. I might have helped initially, but he feels so comfortable in the team right now, that if I disappear, nothing will change."