Rob Smedley shares the ‘huge advantage’ Fernando Alonso has over the rest of the F1 grid

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Former Formula 1 race engineer Rob Smedley has shared the advantage that he thinks Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has over the rest of the grid.

At 42 years old, Fernando Alonso is the most experienced driver in Formula 1 right now but easily still one of the quickest.

In an interview with Motorsport.com, Smedley has shared his past experiences with the Spaniard and why he’s always known he was going to be a superstar.

Who knew all the way back in 2001 when Alonso was driving a black and white Minardi at the back of the grid that he would still be here 23 seasons later.

He took a sabbatical in 2019 to win Le Mans and compete in the Dakar Rally but he’s now back racing for his sixth different team in F1 and still thriving.

It was a bold call to swap Alpine for Aston Martin in the winter of 2022, but it’s paid off with the British team overtaking their French counterparts in the standings.

Rob Smedley has now shared the advantage he thinks Alonso has over his rivals that have helped him deliver so many impressive results.

The Spaniard has admitted he’s ‘rather confident’ ahead of next season which suggests things are going well behind the scenes at the team.

If they can build on their eight podium finishes and fifth-place in the Constructors’ Championship then that would be seriously impressive.

Smedley thinks Alonso has advantage over the rest of the grid

Speaking about the two-time world champion, Smedley said: “Intelligence, I think, shows itself in many ways.

“It shows on the track, he shows it on the track when he has this incredible ability to not only drive the car at 300 km/h, but also to analyse and process everything that is happening around him. And that is useful.

“That’s a huge advantage against your competitors, because not only can you drive as fast as them, but you’re also thinking better than the vast majority of them as well.

“And also intelligence is seen in his tenacity, in emotional intelligence, the tenacity of being solid as a rock mentally and never, or almost never, being destabilized by, for example, his teammate.

“If his teammate is a little faster, he doesn’t break down. It’s hard ever to see Fernando having a bad day.

“He has very few bad days, he’s very consistent. And that’s because when you put those three pillars together, you get that incredible driver.”

A perfect example of the advantage Smedley is talking about is how Alonso fared in his battle with Sergio Perez in Sao Paulo last season.

Alonso was up against a faster car with DRS and eventually gave up position on track heading into the final lap after an immense fight.

However, he knew enough pressure on Sergio Perez going into the first corner would force him into a defensive move despite the fact he was in quicker machinery.

That gave Alonso the only opportunity he needed and earned Aston Martin their first podium since Zandvoort.

He’s arguably the most important Aston Martin have made in their short history in F1 and they would be very wise to offer the veteran a new deal sooner rather than later.