Fernando Alonso may not have won a Grand Prix for nearly 11 years now, but he remains one of the most successful drivers on the grid. And clearly, he’s one of the most respected by his peers too.
In addition to his world titles in 2005 and 2006, the Spaniard has won 32 Grands Prix, claimed 22 pole positions and stood on the podium 106 times. Having signed a new multi-year deal at Aston Martin, he could add to those tallies too.
It’s no surprise, then, to see Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu name the 42-year-old as part of his dream driver line-up in an interview with F1.com. But the identity of his teammate may raise eyebrows.
After news broke of his new Aston Martin contract, Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle raved about Alonso’s ‘incredible motivation and staying power’. He’ll be at least 45 by the time his fresh terms expire.
He currently sits eighth in the driver standings, level on points with Mercedes driver George Russell. With Lewis Hamilton 14 points further back, he almost single-handedly has Aston breathing down the neck of the Silver Arrows.
Zhou Guanyu picks Fernando Alonso teammate in dream line-up
When asked to name ‘all-time F1 dream team’, Zhou picked Alonso and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Piastri has only just begun his second year in the sport, and is yet to win a Grand Prix.
However, he did enjoy the best rookie season the sport has seen since Lewis Hamilton in 2007 as he bagged two podiums and amassed 97 points. He would also win the Sprint Race in Qatar, one of only two instances all season where Red Bull failed to reach the chequered flag first.
He said: “If I’m running it I’d probably put Fernando there. It might sound a bit boring but I’d probably put Oscar there. I don’t want two world champions in my team, I want one who’s a rising star and one who’s a world champion.”
How much does Oscar Piastri earn at McLaren?
Piastri signed a new deal with McLaren last autumn, keeping him at the team until the end of the 2026 season, when there will be sweeping changes to the F1 regulations. According to Spotrac, he earns around £90k-a-week under that contract.
Zak Brown and co. moved early to tie down the youngster with a significant portion of his rookie season still to run, but it’s looking like an astute decision. And that’s not just because of his performances.
Red Bull have been sniffing around Piastri has they consider possible replacements for Max Verstappen amid interest from Mercedes. While the contract doesn’t guarantee that the 23-year-old will stay, it certainly makes it much more difficult – and expensive – for Christian Horner to poach him.
McLaren will believe, much like 1980 F1 world champion Alan Jones, that they have a future world champion on their hands in Piastri. And by tying down Lando Norris to a long-term deal in the winter too, they’ve got arguably the most exciting line-up on the grid set for the long-term.
The post ‘A rising star’: Zhou Guanyu puts £90k-a-week driver alongside Fernando Alonso in his F1 dream team appeared first on F1 Oversteer.