F1: Three reasons why the sport will miss Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso is the best driver on the grid in the eyes of many people belonging to the paddock. And even though it was widely expected that he would be moving away from the sport come next season, his decision has sent shock-waves across the motoring world.

The Spanish matador will not only be leaving F1 as a Double World Champion but also as one who could have had added more number of titles if the stars had aligned for him.

On the bright side, however, he is now on the cusp of completing the Triple Crown, which is achieved when a driver is victorious at Monte Carlo, the 24 Hour Le Mans endurance marathon and the Indy 500.

With McLaren nowhere near their absolute best and Alonso growing possibly tired of having to drag his team out of a never-ending slide in and week out, maybe the timing of his decision is impeccable much like many of his silky smooth passes.

Here are three reasons why the sport will miss the classy Spaniard:

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#1 Outperform the machinery at hand: An Alonso special

Alonso has been a master at extracting maximum performance from the cars given to him

Alonso is the master of extracting more than the maximum performance from the machinery available at his disposal.

His second stint at McLaren has seen the Woking outfit fall from grace and become a laughing stock due to its inability to provide a decent package for its drivers. Alonso has quite literally driven the wheels off the worthless piece of machinery and finish in points scoring positions, which it seldom deserved.

Even when he was at Ferrari, the Red Bulls were the quicker cars, but Alonso courtesy his lightning-quick getaways and his relentless pursuits would end up beating them more often than not.

#2 How to beat your teammate 101: Step forward Alonso

It's fair to say that the Spaniard has had the measure of all his teammates and has outperformed them on all fronts

People associated with motorsports will tell you that the first person a driver has to beat is his own teammate.

Alonso has done this throughout his glittering career, barring the one tumultuous season at McLaren where Hamilton and Alonso finished level on points.

It's fair to say that the Spaniard has had the measure of all his teammates and has outperformed them on all fronts.

#3 F1 loves its characters and Alonso was one among them

The sport has seen a variety of characters - from the charismatic James Hunt to the moody Kimi Raikkonen and boy, Alonso was one among them. His trademark celebrations were a joy to watch. But, more recently, Alonso has provided pure radio gold at McLaren.

But, if you were to associate his legendary career in F1 with the image of him in Interlagos while relaxing in a chair on the grass banks when the race was on, maybe you don't know the real Alonso.

Alonso has given us some moments to remember

Alonso is a gladiator who knew how to win, extract more performance than what was available and one who will always be remembered for his lightning-quick getaways. He could bring a team together and provide priceless feedback in the development of a car similar to the legendary Michael Schumacher. His season-long duel with Schumacher in the 2006 season is the stuff of legends.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it was really unfortunate that the teams Alonso chose to drive for - Ferrari and McLaren (second stint) were far from their best. Had things gone slightly differently for him, Alonso would probably be leaving the sport with five or six world titles under his belt. But, that will not undermine the genius that is Alonso. And, that's what makes him all the more special.