Jenson Button suggested that fighting with Fernando Alonso on track was similar to duelling with Michael Schumacher. Writing in his journal on Aston Martin’s team website, the former world champion hailed the qualities of the Spanish world champion.
Button and Alonso had their F1 careers running parallel to each other for 17 years. Both were teammates at McLaren in 2015 and 2016. The duo had also raced each other in the World Endurance Championship [WEC] in 2018. They later reunited at Aston Martin, where the Briton is a brand ambassador, and the Spaniard is a driver.
Button complimented Fernando Alonso by comparing him to Michael Schumacher in a racing duel. He felt that both raced hard but fairly. He recollected his first race victory in 2006 at the Hungarian GP, where he raced against a then 25-year-old Alonso. The double world champion retired from the race on Lap 51, after which Button took the lead.
Button believes that Fernando Alonso has a unique driving style and adapts well to any car and setup. He felt that comparing the all-time greats was difficult, but cherished having the opportunity to race against the best in the sport during his F1 career.
Writing in his column ‘Jenson’s Journal’, Button said:
“The biggest compliment I can give Fernando is that fighting him was very similar to fighting with Michael Schumacher. In my experience against them it would be hard but fair – it was on the limit every time and I loved that. That was part of the challenge.”
“When I won my first grand prix in Hungary, I was fighting against them and that’s what you want as a driver. You want to be fighting against the best, against the greats, to see how you compare. In my career I got to race against the likes of Fernando and Michael, as well as Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. I’ve been really lucky to have raced against some of the true legends of the sport.”
Praising the ability of Fernando Alonso to adapt to any car and setup, Button said:
“Fernando drives like no one else. He’s aggressive, he can adapt brilliantly, and it’s been that way all through his career.”
Jenson Button believes Fernando Alonso still has more to give F1
Jenson Button believes Fernando Alonso still has more to contribute to F1 on track, despite Aston Martin’s difficult period in terms of performance. He would like to see the Spanish driver in an Adrian Newey-designed car and back fighting for race wins. The former BAR Honda driver felt that Alonso taking a sabbatical was too early in his career. He believes that this time, Alonso will only decide to quit the sport when he is certain that it is the right time to do so.
Speaking about Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin and his career trajectory, Button said:
“Obviously, this year has been tough, but it’s still an exciting time to be at Aston Martin Aramco and to be working with people like Adrian Newey. Any F1 driver would love to race a car designed by him, and to experience first-hand him driving this team forward. I know how difficult it is to decide your future, and he’s been there once before. He left the sport and came back, so he obviously left too early. Now, he will make sure that he’s 100 per cent certain that he doesn’t want to be in the sport before he leaves.”
Commenting on the future of Fernando Alonso, he added:
“Fernando’s still got so much more to give in F1. I would love to see him in an Aston Martin fighting for wins. That’s where he should be, and it’s where this team is aiming to be.”
Fernando Alonso is speculated to be in discussions with Aston Martin over a potential contract renewal. The Silverstone-based team started the season on the back foot but has managed to turn its performance around significantly with its latest upgrades.
The former Renault world champion is the only points scorer for Aston Martin and has collected a total of three points. In the constructors’ championship, Aston Martin is 10th out of 11 teams. After being slower than Cadillac at the beginning of the season during the preseason test, the team has managed to move ahead of the American outfit over the course of the season. They managed to score points in both Hungary and Zandvoort consistently.
Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli