Does Double F1 Champion Fernando Alonso Share the Same Gladiator Mindset as Tennis Icon Rafael Nadal?

Fernando Alonso, certainly one of the toughest drivers on the Formula One grid at the moment, has shown quite an unimaginable level of resilience against evolving youngsters despite the looming age factor. At 41, the Spaniard is all set to refresh his career with a brand new multi-year contract with Aston Martin Racing.

And here’s something interesting! The two-time world champion will be succeeding a retiring F1 colleague who made his debut almost half a decade later than the Alpine driver. Such has been the level of motivation pushing Alonso to compete in the ever-challenging pinnacle of motorsport amid the current generation transition phase.

What’s more shocking is Alonso’s recent comments on his fitness; The veteran reckoned he is as powerful as ever and further hailed himself as much fitter than the future stars. Has the sport ever witnessed a driver as fierce and sparked as the soon-to-be Aston Martin driver? Well, maybe not in F1, but, there’s still an active athlete that could be an absolute replica of Alonso.

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Wondering who that could be? Well, it’s none other than the 22-time Grand Slam winner, Rafael Nadal. Hailing from Manacor, Spain, the ‘King of Clay’ has been an integral part of the Tennis community, sharing the limelight with fellow rivals, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Is Fernando Alonso the Rafael Nadal of F1?

Not in terms of title wins, assuming it’s fair enough to compare on that basis. However, Alonso and Nadal do have similar traits in their respective sporting industry. According to F1 journalist Matt Clayton, the intimidation that Nadal generates against his opponents is quite similar to that of Alonso.

He said, “The athlete he reminds me the most of is Rafael Nadal. And it’s a lazy Spanish nationalistic analogy. However, there are a lot of very, very similar traits. I always think, with Nadal, you almost have to kill him to beat him. Because he cares more than you and the intimidation factor of looking over the net, thinking, ‘I’ve got to beat this guy three sets out of five’.”

Now let’s look at Alonso; Who could ever forget his battle against former rival, Hamilton, at the 2021 Hungarian GP? Despite the inferior car in hand, the Spaniard put up an insane fight against the title-contending Mercedes engine, and ultimately thwarted the Briton’s hopes of winning the race.

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Fast-forward to the Qatar GP, it barely seemed like Alonso was driving a mid-field car as he surged his way to the podium on merit. Of course, this season may not have played out the way he initially would have hoped for. However, with 9 races to go, will Alonso be able to replicate Nadal’s active stupendous run over the rest of the F1 season?