£275k-a-week F1 driver identified as ‘most complete’ on grid

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Most drivers on the grid can extract the best performance out of an F1 car, but very few can reach the extra tenths that can put them on pole or win races.

Max Verstappen has been the benchmark driver in recent years, producing one of the most dominant seasons in F1 history behind the wheel of the RB20.

Former championship rival Lewis Hamilton has also proven he can still mix it up with the leaders, having taken two victories this season off the back of Mercedes’ recent run of success.

Although Aston Martin has not delivered on last year’s promise, Fernando Alonso has still been maximising their results in what has turned out to be an average car in 2023.

Alonso was vocal about their problems and did not have high expectations heading into the final 10 rounds this season, but he has always been a driver heralded for his ability to make the difference behind a car that is not the best on pure pace.

Former F1 driver Felipe Nasr, who raced alongside Alonso during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, believes Alonso is the most complete driver he has ever seen when discussing him on the Motorsport Brazil podcast.

Fernando Alonso ‘most complete’ driver on the F1 grid

The £275,000-a-week driver recently signed a new contract with Aston Martin which takes him into the future with the team, notably when the new cars come into effect in 2026.

Nasr believes his experience will be invaluable to the team when it comes to developing their car, as Aston Martin harbours ambitions to become World Champions.

“Alonso was very cool, even when he was in McLaren he was also there in the middle of the grid. I met him several times and there is no doubt he is one of the most complete drivers I’ve ever seen,” said Nasr.

“Complete in different cars and different situations, he’s really a guy where experience prevails. We can see that besides his talent, experience counts for a lot.”

Aston Martin has ambitions to become World Champions

While Alonso might be frustrated by a lack of success on track, there is a lot of progress being made behind the scenes.

Aston Martin has now got one of the most state-of-the-art facilities in F1 at their new factory in Silverstone, which also makes them an appealing team to move to considering their proximity to other top teams such as Red Bull and Mercedes.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Andy Cowell has recently signed for Aston Martin having been in charge of Mercedes’ highly successful engine department, while former Ferrari engineer Enrico Cardile has also signed for them recently.

Legendary F1 car designer Adrian Newey is also set to join them having announced he will leave Red Bull, with an announcement on his future expected in September.