Pat Symonds full of praise for AlonsoRenault engineering chief Pat Symonds believes defending drivers world champion
Fernando Alonso has the talent to emulate
Michael Schumacher's record-breaking career.
Symonds, who engineered seven-times champion Schumacher's car when
he won his first two titles with Benetton in 1994 and 1995, also guided Alonso to glory with Renault last year.
Asked to compare the two and to say if Alonso had the ability to equal Schumacher's achievements, he said he believed the 25-year-old Spaniard had the talent, but suggested much would depend on luck and opportunity.
"Has he got what it takes? Yes, I think he has," he said. "There are many similarities between Michael and Fernando, and those similarities go beyond just being able to drive the car fast.
"I think Fernando and Michael are both very good at reading a race, they know when to go quickly and when to look after things.
"He has the capability of doing it (beating Schumacher's records), but one of the interesting things about any competitive sport is that performance is relative.
"Not taking anything away from the achievements of Ferrari or Michael, but I think the rest of us were really asleep for a few years and if that were to happen again, then yes, maybe Fernando can do it.
"But I think the level of competitiveness now in Formula One is such that it's unlikely to happen. I think it will be a long, long while before we see the many records that Michael has set being approached, let alone broken."
Source AFP
