24/03/2021
NEWS STORY
Talking a good fight before it has even begun, Fernando Alonso says he is better than Lewis, Max, Seb et al.
Having predicted that "there will be a few surprises" on Saturday, when "everyone has low fuel, the fastest tyres fitted and full power from the engine", never one to shy away from controversy, Fernando Alonso has now turned his attention to his fellow drivers.
Asked by the BBC, if, despite being away from the sport, he is still as good as Lewis Hamilton, fellow champions, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, the Spaniard was in no doubt: "No... I'm better," he replied.
"It's going to be great, I'm looking forward (to it)," he continued. "There are some young, talented guys that've been showing great performance in the younger categories.
"And then we still have the champions. Lewis, Sebastian, Kimi, Verstappen... even if he is one of the young ones, of the younger generation, he has raced at the top level already for four years, five years.
"We have a very competitive grid and it's going to be a challenge to meet everyone on track.
"I'm back with the aim of doing well obviously," he added, "and the aim of having the chance to win races, hoping to fight for championships.
"We understand that this year it's not going to be possible because the regulations are a little bit different," he admitted, "but basically the same as previous years, so I don't see any miracles happening there.
"But in 2022 there's a chance with the new regulations mixing a little bit the order of the grid and we want to be one of those teams that surprises everybody and to do that we need to work hard this year."
Referring to the cycling accident that caused him to miss the team launch and will see him start the season with a titanium plate in his jaw, he said: "I was lucky in the end. I tell you that I was worried in the moment that it happened, because I'd been waiting all of the second part of last year, and obviously you're preparing for the team presentation and the first test, and then suddenly you find yourself in a hospital after a bike accident, and you don't know how long it's going to take to recover.
"Luckily the first answer from the doctors was that in ten days or one week I should be ready to go, so I had to stay at home for one week with not much activity, but after that I was perfectly fine."
It's like he's never been away.