There are so many aspects to being a top Formula 1 driver as well as just being really quick.
You need exceptional racecraft, incredibly fast reactions and a brilliant team around you.
Eddie Jordan was speaking on the Formula For Success Podcast and was discussing how one current driver has an edge over all of his rivals.
Unfortunately, Formula 1 is no longer known for a huge amount of overtaking, with DRS the latest innovation introduced to try and encourage closer battling.
Formula 2 and Formula 3 are synonymous with closer battles although the cars are built to a much closer specification.
It means drivers in F1 have to be at the top of their game whenever they get the chance to pass one of their rivals.
Jordan has hailed Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso for the way he thinks in the car and the mind games he plays on the rest of the grid.
However, according to the stewards in Australia, he outthought himself in his late battle with George Russell.
Eddie Jordan praises master of ‘mind games’ Fernando Alonso
There was plenty of drama in Melbourne, but the race ended under a Virtual Safety Car after a big shunt for George Russell.
The Mercedes driver was closing in on Alonso but on the penultimate lap, the one-time race winner was suddenly on his side on the exit of turn six.
Russell was begging for a red flag to be waved after his car smashed into the barriers and turned over after getting caught on one of its own tyres.
Replays then showed Alonso braking significantly earlier heading into the corner, before briefly accelerating and then slowing down again before the right-hander.
He was heard complaining about his throttle on the radio after the incident, although that message has been questioned by some in the paddock.
Alonso was given a 20-second time penalty by the stewards for his involvement in Russell’s incident, but Jordan has praised the 42-year-old for his mind games.
It’s an opinion shared by former world champion Damon Hill, who has previously suggested that Alonso can ‘out-cunning’ anyone else in the sport.
READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside of F1 from net worth to Cars 2
Fernando Alonso penalised after Russell’s accident at Australian Grand Prix
Speaking about the former Renault, McLaren and Ferrari driver, Jordan said: “He’s a very, very clever driver. There’s not many out there on that grid who could actually take on Fernando Alonso in mind games because I think he is above everybody else.
“What happened? Only he knows. But it did look to me as if the car slowed.
“If that’s the case, then it’s up to the driver behind to be able to look out for that.
“The driver behind is always the person that has to use the initiative because he has to balance everything in his mind that gives him the safest option.
“That was a big accident, that could have been horrific but as you said, George [Russell] will learn from that.
“I think he and most of the grid will be very, very aware when they come up to fighting with Alonso.”
Fernando Alonso still one of Formula 1’s quickest drivers
Jordan has praised Alonso’s mind games and it’s just one of the many aspects of his driving ability that makes him one of the most revered drivers on the grid.
The £270,000-a-week driver has entered the final year of his current deal with Aston Martin, although team principal Mike Krack is keen to open talks over a new agreement soon.
He may face an uphill task getting to commit to a deal soon given the reported interest in him.
There are suggestions that Red Bull are interested in the Spaniard and he would be the strongest teammate Max Verstappen has ever faced which would be fascinating from a fan’s perspective.
He will also be a candidate for the vacant Mercedes seat and could be the perfect stop-gap for Toto Wolff before Andrea Kimi Antonelli is ready to step up from F2 or a potential Williams drive.
The fact that Alonso is still one of the most desirable drivers on the grid at 42 is a testament to just how good he is.
The post ‘Above everyone else’: Eddie Jordan hails £270k-a-week F1 driver who is the master of ‘mind games’ appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
