Alonso has progressed alongside Hamilton
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, the Spaniard reflected on his 2007 season with Lewis Hamilton as well as the near future of the Scuderia.
In 2007, McLaren, still under the leadership of Ron Dennis, decided to create a unique team composed of the reigning double world champion Fernando Alonso and the young protégé of the team, Lewis Hamilton, under the wing of the brand since he was 13. An astonishing and explosive mix, especially since the rookie often proved to be on par with the Spaniard, which led to tensions within the team.
Alonso reflects on this episode in the Spanish daily Marca: « You must always learn lessons from difficult moments. This year [2007] has been good overall. Lewis and I have learned a lot. When you share a team with a top driver, you learn to grow together. You improve in terms of race preparation and also in driving style, because you share telemetry data. It was a great experience ».
An experience that could potentially happen at Ferrari, even if the chances of seeing Hamilton join the Prancing Horse seem close to none. « If we were teammates in another team, there would be a cleaner fight and a real struggle » indicated Fernando Alonso, who is currently 4th in the world championship with 145 points – one unit behind the Brit – which is 89 points behind Sebastian Vettel (equivalent to three victories and a third place).
Regarding the current season, Alonso remains realistic: Ferrari cannot go to a Grand Prix without thinking about victory, but we are realistic and we know how difficult it will be. Vettel needs to face some problems. The more realistic goal seems to be 2012: Of course, we can catch up with the Red Bull. The rules are going to change, blown diffusers will be banned, so the development philosophy and the use of wind tunnels will have to change.
Significant changes have taken place in the Scuderia’s organizational chart and seem to be bearing fruit in light of the recent results of the Ferrari drivers. An evolution praised by Alonso: « I have noticed more desire and optimism, faster decisions, more courage in development. Yes, we have improved the structure and the way of working ».
