Sebastian Vettel's former teammate on when he realized Fernando Alonso was a potential F1 world champion

Former Red Bull driver and Sebastian Vettel's former teammate Mark Webber recently spoke about when he realized that Fernando Alonso could be a potential world champion.

Both Webber and Alonso started their careers during the early 2000s and impressed the F1 world with their skills behind the wheel. While the Aussie raced for Minardi in 2002, Alonso decided to take on the role of a test driver for Renault and later became its permanent driver the following season.

However, speaking to RacingNews365, Webber revealed that he knew the Spaniard before their time in F1. He said:

"I saw him go through Eau Rouge and I thought 'Yeah, okay!' He was very fast and very good in Spa and also very fast in Budapest. He was immediately very competitive. I knew he would be unstoppable later."

"Our careers overlapped to a considerable extent, and we always got along well. I was testing at Renault when he was a Minardi driver, and then he went as a test driver [for Renault], and I went to Minardi. He was insanely fair with me. I think the relationship helped, but we never touched each other, even though we spent, like, 40% of our careers together!"

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"I am constantly amazed by Fernando Alonso" - F1 pundit

F1 pundit Lee McKenzie said that Fernando Alonso never ceased to amaze her and also praised his awareness of the whole race situation despite being inside the cockpit.

Speaking to RacingNews365, she said:

"I am constantly amazed by Fernando. He is the most competitive person but, actually, when you strip it down, there is no one I've spoken to more who knows more about the race – and he's been driving in it.

"He knows where everyone has finished, he knows every decision that's been taken by the FIA. He gets given a note when he comes into the interview pen, just in case there's something he's missed. He is so well-briefed, he reads a race so well. He is just incredible, the amount of capacity he has for knowledge whilst he's driving."

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill also mentioned that Fernando Alonso was a thinking racer, adding:

"But he is a thinking racing person. He's just... I was going to say machine but he's not a machine, he's a person, but he's just amazing. He always impresses me with everything he does."

After an amazing start to the 2023 season, it would be fascinating to see if Fernando Alonso can win his first race in F1 since 2013.