03.01.2007 @ 21:26:33

Engineer backs Alonso to match Schumacher
Back to back title winner Fernando Alonso can match the achievements of F1's retiring seven time World Champion Michael Schumacher.
That is the belief of an unnamed engineer, who - according to the Spanish sports newspaper El Mundo Deportivo - worked with both Alonso and Schumacher during his career in Formula One.

Among others, Germany's Schumacher holds records for the number of titles, wins, pole positions, points and fastest laps, but Alonso is the youngest ever winner of two drivers' championships.

The engineer said: "I believe Fernando can equal all of Schumacher's records, if he wants to race for that long."

Alonso, however, has now officially joined McLaren, despite achieving so much with Renault.

But his predecessor at Woking based McLaren, Kimi Raikkonen, is quoted as suggesting that his own failure to win the title in a silver car may not thwart Alonso's ambition to continue winning in 2007 and beyond.

Ferrari's Raikkonen reportedly said: "I am sure that McLaren can build a winning car."
Source GMM CAPSIS International