Fernando Alonso has downplayed suggestions that a driver can ‘build’ an F1 team, with the Spaniard putting Mercedes’ and Red Bull’s recent dominance down to regulation changes.
The Aston Martin driver clearly isn’t a fan of the idea that drivers are responsible for improving a team, with him labelling the “building” theory as a myth.
Alonso has previously been criticised for not being able to ‘build’ a team, due to him often switching sides following a fallout.
He doesn’t think Lewis Hamilton is responsible for Mercedes’ dominance from 2014 to 2021, a period of time in which the Silver Arrows won eight consecutive Constructors’ Championship.
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Alonso believes that Hamilton already had the tools given to him to fight for titles at Mercedes, following the introduction of the hybrid era in 2014.
Mercedes built a superior engine for the start of the hybrid era, meaning the Germans had already “built everything” for Hamilton to win.
Hamilton’s former McLaren team-mate believes very similar can be said for Max Verstappen and Red Bull, given that the Austrians didn’t magically improve once the Dutchman joined them in 2016.
It wasn’t until 2021 where Red Bull and Verstappen really took the fight to Mercedes and Hamilton, whilst the Austrians have been untouchable since the new aerodynamic regulations were introduced in 2022.
Alonso therefore thinks a driver can’t ‘build’ a team themselves, with the rest of the team’s work and input having a bigger difference than a driver.
“I think this is something that is always said about drivers ‘building’ teams,” Alonso told The Telegraph.
“But when Lewis went to Mercedes, he didn’t ‘build’ anything. It was just a change in regulations that built everything for him.
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“And when Max joined Toro Rosso and Red Bull it was still Hamilton winning everything.
“He didn’t ‘build’ a winning Red Bull team. In 2021 it was very close between them, and now with the change in regulations last year, Red Bull win every race so far this season.
“So I don’t know exactly what we mean when we say you can ‘build’ teams around you because I think this is a sport where, you know, technical decisions, technical regulations, inspiration from the design office or wind tunnel or something like that normally makes more difference than your input, your feedback, your personality, or your way of driving.”