Alonso: “The current generation has lost some of their character”
With over 20 years' experience in Formula 1, the two-time world champion recently made some nostalgic comments, saying he missed the older generation, which he felt was more authentic and had a stronger personality.
The man with 390 Formula 1 Grand Prix is very well placed to know. Fernando Alonso has been able to closely observe the evolution of Formula 1 drivers and, by comparing them, he has come to the conclusion that the drivers of the past were formidable competitors while the current generation has lost some of their unique character.
An older generation more natural than its successors?
« There are definitely differences. I think the older generation was a bit more authentic. They had a different character, a different approach to racing and life. They were very tough competitors, as the Spaniard revealed.
Shocking statements, undoubtedly uttered in a melancholic dimension, when he was fighting for world titles alongside true figures of the sport such as Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, or the Canadian Jacques Villeneuve. According to him, each of these drivers was unique, with a character of their own that made them strong personalities, on the track but also off it, just like the seven-time German world champion.
A new generation less divisive
The Spaniard, who has just started his 21st Formula 1 season, has thus gone through all eras, all car models, and now rubs shoulders with young drivers, whose fathers even raced with the Aston Martin driver, such as Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, or even very young drivers, such as McLaren driver Oscar Piastri who was born in 2001, the year Alonso made his Formula 1 debut. Next year, Oliver Bearman will join Haas. The British driver is from 2005, the year of the Spaniard’s first title at Renault. An astonishing experience and a touch of speed still present against drivers he considers very talented but less authentic than before.
« Today, I would say they are very talented – perhaps more than before thanks to all the preparation, academies, simulator work, technology, and data they have to improve and learn quickly. They arrive in F1 better prepared. But off the track or without the helmet, they may be a little the same and more shy in their approach to things. They have people speaking for them, for management, for the media, for physical condition. They are well prepared, but they may have lost some of their personality.
Partially true statements to the extent that these pilots, completely immersed in the world of technology and social networks, cannot say everything as some of their remarks could prove problematic and elicit potential criticism from the public. Nevertheless, at present, it would be incorrect to say that current drivers lack personality, like Max Verstappen, the triple world champion known for his aggression on the track and unique statements in front of the media, Yuki Tsunoda, or even Daniel Ricciardo.
