Fernando Alonso names seven-time F1 world champion as his greatest rival

Fernando Alonso has singled out seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher as his greatest rival in the sport.

In his extensive career in the sport, Fernando Alonso has gone wheel-to-wheel with some of the best drivers to ever compete in F1. While he is remembered for his duels with world champions like Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel to name a few, the Spaniard has a special regard for Michael Schumacher.

In an interview with Aston Martin's sponsors Bang & Olufsen, the 41-year-old was asked to choose his biggest rival in the sport. Fernando Alonso said:

“It is difficult to choose one because they were all great rivals and very talented drivers as well. When I came to this sport, Michael Schumacher was dominating the races and everything, probably that fight with him would still be the one I would choose. Fighting against Michael was very special, so I would say that.”

Fernando Alonso was one of four drivers to deny Schumacher a world title after the German moved to Ferrari and the first one after the turn of the century when the Scuderia had a reputation for being unassailable on the asphalt.

Alonso claiming back-to-back world titles in 2005 and 2006 while taking on the Ferrari juggernaut built around Michael Schumacher has been touted by many as an incredulous feat and a testament to his abilities.

---

Max Verstappen backs Fernando Alonso to fight for race wins in 2023 F1 season with Aston Martin

Max Verstappen believes Aston Martin have a competitive package that could see them contending for race wins in the 2023 F1 season.

Aston Martin has come out of the traps in fine form this season with a car that looks oddly similar to the Red Bull RB19 and so far it has paid dividends on track.

The team from Silverstone is P2 in the standings and Fernando Alonso has a hat-trick of podium finishes to show for his efforts after three rounds of racing in 2023.

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen admitted to hoping for a race win in Fernando Alonso's future the year after the pair shared the podium following the season opener in Bahrain. The Dutchman said:

"I hope so for Fernando because he has had a few years where there was not really a possibility to fight at the front, so I'm happy to see him sitting here already in race one. At Aston Martin, they really have the spirit and drive, they want to win and they've hired a lot of good people. So I guess it can only get better for them."

The 25-year-old went on to add:

"And I think for this year, it's difficult to say if they're going to challenge for the championship, but race wins are definitely on the table. You still win two or three races a year because sometimes they are some tracks which really suit your car and everything just comes together and you can win a race with maybe sometimes a bit of help or luck."

Alonso's last race win came back in 2013 when he was still racing for Italian giants Ferrari. It would come as no surprise should he break that duck this season with the AMR23.