“Should have won more titles”: Former Ferrari engineer regrets missed opportunity in 2x champion Fernando Alonso’s tenure at the Italian team

Former Ferrari engineer Nikolas Tombazis believes Fernando Alonso should have won more than two titles in Formula 1. Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, the FIA single-seater director felt the Maranello team could not produce a competitive car to challenge titles.

Tombazis who was at Ferrari from 1992 to 2014, witnessed the title campaigns of Fernando Alonso between 2010 and 2014. The Spanish driver came close to beating Sebastian Vettel in 2010 and 2012. However, the former Head of Aerodynamics of the team believes that they never had the car and sophisticated exhaust system which cost them the title. The 56-year-old reckons those are some of the disappointing moments in his career that still annoy him.

Reflecting upon the tenure of Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, Tombazis said (via Motorsport.com):

"We were twice as close. I very much regret that we did not give him the car he would have needed to win the championship. Even if it was close, Red Bull beat us back then. In terms of talent, Fernando should have won many more titles. When we analyze the seasons, we see various reasons why we were not so good."

"We didn't get the exhaust system right at the time. We never managed to generate such a strong exhaust gas flow as the other engines. That was decided by the championship at the time. It doesn't wake me up at night, but there are a few key traumas in my career that still annoy me. Abu Dhabi is one of them," he added.

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Fernando Alonso prefers a wet Spanish GP for Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso believes the wet weekends are better for Aston Martin to capitalize on a good result compared to dry weekends.

Speaking at the Thursday driver's press conference ahead of the 2024 Spanish GP, the Spaniard reckoned that the Canadian GP weekend was one of their better weekends due to a green track. The 42-year-old felt that the races have been difficult to predict lately so it will be difficult to anticipate their performance at his home race.

Asked if Aston Martin will be competitive in the dry conditions at the Spanish GP, Fernando Alonso said:

"Let's see. I think every race has been a kind of a surprise, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. So we have to wait and see. Canada was one of the best weekends for us, a little bit unexpected after two bad ones in Imola and Monaco. So I think we have to wait and see the free practice, let's put it that way. I think we prefer wet Sunday at the moment because we are not totally sure about the performance in the dry."

Out of the 58 points scored by Aston Martin, 41 have been the contribution of Fernando Alonso. The double champion is ninth in the Drivers' Championship, but the team are far away from their form from 2023.

He has not been able to clinch multiple podiums either, which placed him fourth in the drivers championship last year. The Silverstone-based team are scheduled to bring updates to the AMR24 at the Catalunya circuit this weekend.