Fernando Alonso is a freak of nature, as he embarks on a new venture with Aston Martin at the age of 41.
Racing at such an age is not an easy task, with Lewis Hamilton suggesting that he originally not plan to race into his 40s, while Sebastian Vettel called time on his career at only 35.
Alonso has committed to a multi-year contract at Aston Martin, and Lance Stroll’s new teammate has not shown any signs of slowing down as he has already taken part in tests for his new team, only days after the 2022 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
While some have suggested that the Spaniard will begin to slow down and lose his passion for Formula 1 as he approaches the end of his career, new Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa has claimed that he has seen no much signs from the 41-year-old since Alonso made the switch.
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“I’m ten years older than Fernando, and I think that the biggest issue for any racing driver, the thing that makes you click and say , ‘I need to retire’, or ‘it’s not safe anymore’, or ‘I don’t want, I’m not enjoying it anymore’, it is the travelling and never being home,” explained De la Rosa.
“This is the biggest problem for guys like Fernando, myself, you know?
“Looking at Fernando, looking at his eyes, speaking with him doing the seat fitting here in the garage, you think ‘I don’t know how many more years this guy can continue’ because he’s the same Fernando that did the seat fitting with Minardi 20 years ago, 25!”
De la Rosa took part in 107 Grand Prix over the course of his Formula 1 career and retired at the age Alonso is now, meaning that he can draw parallels from his time in the sport to what Alonso is going through now.
The 51-year-old has suggested that himself and Aston Martin are not concerned about the age of their new driver, as De la Rosa himself felt that if anything, he was a better driver at the latter end of his career.
“I don’t think my performance declined,” he claimed in Abu Dhabi.
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“I don’t feel like I was going any slower. In fact, I felt that experience was giving me that extra so I was a bit more complete.
“Obviously I retired, or I had to retire because no team wanted me, but this is a different matter.”
Alonso showed off some very strong performances, and if it was not for the absurd amount of mechanical failures that the Spaniard endured, the believes that his points total over the course of the season could have doubled before he departed for Aston Martin.