Stéphane Peterhansel: « I was in awe of Ayrton Senna »
Continuation of our interview with Stéphane Peterhansel. Focus on F1 in this second part, as « Monsieur Dakar » gives us his impressions of the past season and the one to come, talks about his admiration for Ayrton Senna, and looks at the bridges that can exist between F1 and Rally-Raid.
Read also: Stéphane Peterhansel: « My objective is to win the Dakar 2023 »
Do you follow Formula 1 championship?
I am a fan of motorsports in general, so that includes WRC, motorcycles, MotoGP, and of course Formula 1. I watch the F1 qualifications and races whenever possible. I missed a few during the season because there are more and more of them, but I still managed to see quite a few.
Are there any F1 drivers who have inspired you or still inspire you?
In the past, when I was still on a motorcycle, I was in awe of Ayrton Senna for his commitment, his character, his aggressive driving. Someone like Senna made me dream with his charisma as well. Since then, it has become too polished, too smooth. Even though there are personalities like Max Verstappen who truly have character, it’s often politically correct, too politically correct.
What do you think of the season that just ended and Max Verstappen’s second championship?
It’s crystal clear. He’s the one who holds all the cards. He has a good car, but despite that, when things went wrong, he handled the situations really well. He didn’t make many mistakes and dominated the season overwhelmingly. He also puts in a lot of commitment, meaning he is capable of overtaking like few others can. Whether you like him or not, you have to acknowledge that he has true talent, that he puts in a tremendous amount of effort, and that he never gives up. He’s a true champion.
Several Formula 1 drivers have participated in the Dakar Rally. Jacky Ickx, for instance, won the event in 1983 after competing in 114 Grand Prix races. Do you think that Formula 1 drivers could still get involved in Rally-Raid?
There were periods when the drivers were more multi-disciplinary, when they adapted a little better. When I did my first Dakar in a car (in 1999), Frenchman Philippe Alliot was part of my team. He never won, he never achieved very big results but at least it was quite trendy. There were also Laffite and Pescarolo. Today, could they impose themselves? It would definitely require some experience.
In terms of driving technique, I think they would adapt quickly. These are drivers who are used to racing at speeds over 300 km/h, so when they drive at 180 in the desert, they will feel like everything is in slow motion.
What is important is to have a sharp eye, and they, at those speeds, already have anticipation and reflexes. It would take some time to adapt to a different terrain. A good Formula 1 driver would probably make a good Rally-Raid driver with a little time and experience.
The last Formula 1 driver to participate in the Dakar Rally was Fernando Alonso in 2020, whose performances had been promising…
It’s true that he did a Dakar, but he didn’t have much time to prepare for it. Even the best Formula 1 driver cannot win their first Dakar, unless by a miracle or unless they do a full season before. Experience is necessary, even if they have the right technique and speed.
Alonso has shown that he has the right abilities. But to win a Dakar, he would need to do some races beforehand, or a full season in Rally-Raid. The Dakar is also a race that is managed differently from the Rally of Morocco or Abu Dhabi as it is a longer race. At least one season and at least one Dakar would be necessary before having a chance to succeed, even if he is a top Formula 1 driver.
It is also especially important to choose a co-pilot who is a true top-level co-pilot in the discipline. Alonso had chosen Marc Coma who was a former motorcycle rider, but who didn’t have much experience in co-piloting. He had experience in Rally-Raid but not in co-piloting in the Auto category, so it wasn’t the best choice for Alonso at the time.
After a tightly contested season in 2021, we witnessed Red Bull’s undisputed dominance in 2022. How do you see the upcoming season, especially with many changes in the driver transfer market?
I hope that the performance will tighten up a little and that Mercedes will be back in the fight, as they showed at the end of the season. Because even though Hamilton took a small hit at the beginning of the season, he remains a great driver who is still capable of winning world championships, as well as Russell.
I think Ferrari needs to raise their game a little, especially in terms of performance and strategy. It would be good for the three top teams to be on a similar level of performance so that we can have an exciting championship. Behind them, I believe it will still be tough for Alpine, who will always be a step behind, as well as McLaren and possibly AlphaTauri.
This year, there was an interesting start to the championship. Even though everything was decided in the end, there were still different winners, notably Russell, so it was quite enjoyable to watch. It’s also a shame that the Ferraris kind of fell apart towards the end of the season. We must hope that they regroup in terms of performance because they have someone like Verstappen who always extracts the maximum from his car.
