Alonso quickest in F1, Piquet more mature Fernando Alonso is not only the best all-rounder but also the fastest driver in Formula 1, and the Nelsinho Piquet of 2009 will be a far more mature model than the 2008 version - that is the view of Pat Symonds ahead of the start of the forthcoming season.
As someone who has worked closely with both men in his capacity as Renault F1 executive director of engineering, Symonds is clear about what he expects of them over the upcoming months.
“First of all, Fernando is an incredibly quick driver,” he enthused of the former double world champion, who gained both his titles with the R‚gie in 2005 and 2006. “When you’re making your list of what you want from a racing driver, that’s at the top of the list. In my view, he’s the quickest guy out there; he knows how to win and how to race. He knows what he needs to do.
“He will provide continuity to the team. He’ll be the guy who can say ‘okay, this is what I’m used to, what I’m not used to, what I like, what I don’t like’ - and we don’t have to translate what he says into our engineering language, because we already know that translation as we’ve worked with him before. He can provide that transparency of thought, which is so important to development.
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