In 2007, Fernando Alonso moved to McLaren, but subsequently spent just one season with the team, during which his relationship with team leader Ron Dennis deteriorated from mutual admiration to absolute hostility.
There were several reasons for this. The Spaniard categorically did not want to give in to the young Lewis Hamilton, who had just made his debut in the championship, but was not inferior in terms of speed. It all ended when Alonso published his correspondence with Pedro de la Rosa, a “spy scandal” and a $100 million fine for the team.
Speaking on Sky Sport F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham’s In The Pink podcast, then team press officer Matt Bishop revealed an interesting detail he witnessed at a time when the relationship between Alonso and Dennis was beyond repair.
Matt Bishop: “Ron was incredibly decent and demanded the same from his subordinates. He had an obsession with cleanliness. And one of the things he hated most was when someone ate juicy fruit without a knife and fork.
If you picked up a nectarine, peach or plum, Ron wanted you to place it on a plate, take a sharp knife, secure the fruit with a fork, cut it carefully with the knife and then put small pieces in your mouth using a knife. the fork.
Fernando then came with the largest and ripest peach I had ever seen. He sat down next to Dennis and bit into the fruit with his teeth, causing the juice to run down his chin and leave bits of flesh in his beard.
Not everyone present knew how much it hurt Ron to see this, but believe me, Fernando did.
Fernando is a great racer. And a real manipulator.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
