Fernando Alonso was extremely close to becoming a 4-time world champion, going down in the history books as one of the greatest drivers of all time. He did manage to win 2 championships in Renault in 2005 and ’06, immediately after Michael Schumacher’s dominance till ‘o4. However, subpar career moves on his side, and regulation changes made it difficult for him to be a top contender during his McLaren days.

That changed in 2010 though. Despite Sebastian Vettel ultimately taking the championship in the last race, had Abu Dhabi gone a bit differently for the Asturian, the story would have been a lot different. Similarly, multiple crashes from other people, none of which were his fault, took away 2012 from him as well. These 2 years as a driver from Ferrari becoming the world championship is one of the biggest “What if” scenarios that people still debate to this day. However, despite losing these championships, he managed to inspire many a young driver racing today, including Frenchman Theo Pourchaire.

Theo Pourchaire’s high praise for Fernando Alonso

Pourchaire recently appeared on the Pitstop podcast, marking the first podcast the F2 champion has ever appeared in. During this podcast, he tells the world how much he is inspired by Fernando Alonso’s driving style, especially in his Ferrari days.

“Alonso inspired me a lot. The race starts and the overtakes. I really like the way, especially when he was with Ferrari – great starts then he overtakes. He’s playing with the other drivers.” The French driver continues, “When you see Alonso in a race start, it feels like you’re in a video game you know. You just enjoy and play with the others. He’s great at it. He’s still good at 42 years old.”

Theo Pourchaire then goes on to speculate about another “What if” scenario. What if Alonso moves to Red Bull in 2024? He opines that Alonso would give Max Verstappen a run for his money. “He can for sure challenge Max.” This move will also help Fernando Alonso achieve his long-term goal of working with Adrian Newey.

Read more: Redemption for Fernando Alonso as McLaren Unexpectedly Applauds the 2X Champ’s “Fantastic” Success

Despite this, the fact that Alonso wasn’t able to win those two titles must really sting. Both these seasons went right to the wire, with Sebastian Vettel coming out on top.

Fernando Alonso’s failed quest to becoming 4-time world champion

For many F1 fans, Fernando Alonso was the best driver on the grid from 2010 to 2014. In the years that were dominated by Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull, if circumstances were a little different, Fernando Alonso would have dominated it.

Take 2010 for instance. He closed a 47-point deficit to take the championship lead going into the final race. All he had to do was stay ahead of Sebastian Vettel, and he was looking poised to do it. That was until Ferrari made a costly mistake of an ill-timed pitstop, that would see him stuck behind a Renault, ruining his race.

2012 would have been even more heartbreaking, as Alonso’s Ferrari was arguably the fourth fastest car on the grid. Alonso still led much of the championships. However, after a crash in Spa, thanks to Romain Grosjean and Suzuka with Kimi Raikkonen, he had to concede the title again.

Watch this Story: Fernando Alonso Displays Never-Seen-Before Positive Attitude Despite Huge Aston Martin Blunder

Despite not having the best car, he was an inch away from becoming world champion. If that’s not a testament to what an amazing driver the man from Asturia is, we don’t know what else is.