Pedro de la Rosa I immediately realized that Alonso is very good

In Jeddah, Fernando Alonso climbed the podium for the hundredth time in his career. In an interview with RacingNews365, a friend and compatriot of the Spaniard, Pedro de la Rosa, shared his first impressions of Fernando’s performance.

Pedro de la Rosa: “In 2001 I drove for Jaguar, in one of the races I had to start from the back due to problems in qualifying. In front of me was one of the Minardi cars.

I remember riding in the back and seeing how well the rider handled the corners, how aggressively he attacked, and I thought to myself, “Wow, this guy is really good!” He performed in a slow car, but his skill added speed. I overtook, turned my head – and saw that it was Alonso.

Fernando is a real fighter, he likes pressure, he likes to race. No matter where and on what car he performs, Alonso always gives the best of himself. In every race he is incredibly motivated.

I remember the 2012 European Grand Prix in Valencia, where Fernando started eleventh and won the race, overtaking rivals in places where no one had ever overtaken. Typical Alonso. Any other rider starting from such a position would have agreed to just earn points, and at best the podium, but Fernando always has only one goal: victory.

For the past 10 years he has not driven the most competitive cars, but he always strived to achieve the highest possible result. That sets him apart from other riders.”