Former Ferrari world champion does not think Fernando Alonso 'is as good as some of the press think he is'

Former Ferrari F1 world champion Jody Scheckter recently gave his thoughts on Fernando Alonso's performance in 2023. The Spaniard moved to Aston Martin after 2022 and, to everyone's surprise, has been bagging several podium finishes. However, Scheckter feels the media has slightly overhyped his performances.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Scheckter initially praised Fernando Alonso for his decent performance in 2023, despite him not liking the Spaniard's methods early in his career. Furthermore, he claimed that some of the media outlets make him look better than he actually is. Nonetheless, the former F1 driver was impressed by Alonso.

He said:

“Fernando’s obviously very good. I didn’t like some of the stuff he did in his early career. I didn’t like it very much at all, actually. But he’s good, he’s aggressive. I don’t think he’s as good as some of the press think he is. But he’s doing a good job now, he’s doing a great job.”

Fernando Alonso has bagged seven podiums in the 2023 F1 season, in three of which he finished second, just behind Max Verstappen. Considering that he is now 42 years old, this is an excellent performance from him. He currently stands third in the drivers' championship table with 170 points and is chased by Lewis Hamilton, who is in fifth with 164 points.

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Fernando Alonso reflects on his risky move from Alpine to Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso recently spoke about his move from Alpine to Aston Martin and what the key aspect was that catalyzed the shift. While speaking to El Larguero, the two-time world champion feels that Alpine always lacked professionalism, which Aston Martin did not. Furthermore, he felt that the British team truly wanted him to be on board, which intrigued him even more.

He said:

“The first [act] was that Vettel retired. The second was that Alpine had been negotiating for several months and nothing was ever finalized. We agreed on everything, but the paper didn’t arrive, and I noticed a lack of professionalism.

"At Aston, we had everything clear on Saturday after Vettel’s announcement on Thursday, the role on the table. This willingness to have me seduced me.”

Alonso added:

“It was an adventure, there was a risk, but it worked out well and the hunch worked this time. There were a few hours with both offers on the table, but I saw more ambition in Aston Martin.”

Fernando Alonso's move to Aston Martin was extremely fruitful, as he immediately started ending up on podiums.