In Formula 1, focus is everything. When you are hurtling down in an F1 car, and throwing the car around into corners at speeds in excess of 80 mph, even the slightest lapse in judgement or loss in focus can cause a wreck, and sometimes, much worse. Be that as it may, anyway, when a driver is put under such immense physical and mental exercise, finding the last remnants of any brain capacity left to soak in your surroundings is just not possible. Well, at least for any of the other drivers except Fernando Alonso.

The Spaniard has been proving his mettle and his astounding racing genius in the Aston Martin AMR23 this season. He’s finally strapped into a relatively competitive machinery, and the 41-year-old is not missing any opportunity to showcase to the whole world that he is indeed built differently from the others. But is he overcompensating for past mistakes?

Fernando Alonso whistles a new tune in 2023

During the Miami GP race, Fernando Alonso came onto the radio, in open defiance of logic and human capabilities, to congratulate his teammate, Lance Stroll for an overtake into turn 1 that the Spaniard had been spectating from his race seat on one of the big screens scattered across the circuit! But this show of his superhuman racing capabilities, and how good of a teammate he is has deep roots embedded in his torrid past.

During a recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, host, ex-F1 champion, Damon Hill explained, “He’s the prodigal son, isn’t he? He basically overplayed his hand when he was at McLaren, then he did something similar at Ferrari and then he basically insulted Honda because he called it a GP2 engine. And he lost a lot of friends, and I think he’s had an epiphany, a bit of a turnaround.”

“He’s at his best behavior!” concluded Hill.

In changing his ways in the way that he’s done, according to hosts, makes 2023 a year that will solidify his legacy in this sport.

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At the very base of it, Alonso is doing this to further his chances of being called a 3x champion in the future. But while that accolade might have some more time to materialize, the Spaniard has been bestowed with another worthy title.

Max Verstappen dubs Alonso a life coach

Dutch racing ace and 2-time Formula 1 champion, Max Verstappen obviously knows a thing or two about winning. But even for the Dutch lion himself, what Fernando Alonso can manifest in a racing car is beyond the realms of belief.

This is exactly why after the Miami GP, during the post-race press conference, Verstappen was forced to concede a very peculiar compliment towards Alonso. Verstappen was quoted as quipping, “You’re like a life coach! The last race you’re like ‘try my brake balance!’”

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Will Fernando Alonso ever be able to amass his 3rd Formula 1 driver’s title?