The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team can keep Fernando Alonso happy by just being honest with him, according to the new Team Ambassador, Pedro de la Rosa.
De la Rosa has previous experience of working alongside his fellow Spaniard after being test driver at both the McLaren F1 Team and Scuderia Ferrari whilst Alonso was racing for those teams. And with Alonso joining Aston Martin in 2023 to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel, it will be another opportunity for the two Spaniards to work together.
Alonso holds a reputation, perhaps unjustifiably, of being difficult to handle and sometimes abrupt with his opinions, but de la Rosa says this is far from the truth, and the fact that English is not his first language makes him sound harsher than he is.
“I don’t think that Fernando is a difficult guy to handle,” said de la Rosa to Motorsport.com. “He’s just very genuine, very honest.
“The fact that English is not his native tongue sometimes make him a bit harsh when he tries to describe things. But he’s very honest. And what he tells you is what he feels about the car, about the team, about how to be competitive.
“So as long as you always tell him exactly what’s going on, and what is the truth, you will never have a problem with him. But the moment you try to hide information or he feels that you are trying to keep some information aside, you will have problems.
“He is just a very competitive individual. That’s the reality. If you are as competitive as him, you won’t have any problem with Fernando.”
De la Rosa expects Alonso, who will leave the BWT Alpine F1 Team to join Aston Martin, to perform at the highest level during his time with his new team despite being the oldest driver on the FIA Formula 1 World Championship grid.
“I’ve always said that there are possibly three drivers that are special in F1, and I won’t say which names, but Fernando has always been there,” de la Rosa said. “I’ve always said that Fernando is one of the best drivers in the history of F1, and when I said this a few years ago, everyone thought I was crazy.
“But I’m still crazy because I think he’s unique, and he’s fully motivated: which is also a very, very, very important detail in the life of a F1 driver, especially when you get to 40 years old.
“I’ve been there with 40 as well. So I know a bit. That’s why I think Fernando arrives in the best of his talent and his peak of performance.”
