Alonso hasn’t changed in 10 years
It was back in 2015 when Fernando Alonso, following his Ferrari stint, returned to McLaren after his brief experience with the team in 2007. Eleven years ago, the Spanish driver shared the garage with Jenson Button until 2017, the 2009 world champion who, interestingly, reunited this year with his former teammate at Aston Martin. While Fernando Alonso continues his F1 career today at nearly 45 years old, Button recently hung up his helmet after his final run in the WEC, soon becoming Aston Martin’s newest ambassador.
Their paths have crossed once again, this time amid challenging results for both teams. During Alonso’s second spell at McLaren (which lasted until 2018, while Button retired from F1 a year earlier), the Spanish driver never managed to reach the podium with the Honda-powered car, in what has so far been a disastrous 2026 for the Silverstone outfit, affected in many areas, starting with engine performance and reliability.
These were undoubtedly tough moments, yet ten years later, Button wanted to praise Alonso’s enduring character, still evident as he faces difficult times today. “I raced alongside him for a couple of years, and although they weren’t the easiest years for either of us, the one thing I had, the only real reference point, so to speak, was Fernando as a teammate. Trying to beat someone like Fernando in an identical car was a real challenge, and I loved that challenge,” Button explained in an interview with the official Aston Martin website. “Seeing his work ethic, but also how much he enjoyed himself off the track—he has a fantastic character. Ten years later, none of that has changed in Fernando.”
Jenson Button’s admiration for Fernando Alonso highlights a rare level of consistency in elite sports. Based on the content of his latest interview, the Aston Martin ambassador believes that Alonso’s psychological resilience is exactly what the team needs to overcome their current technical hurdles.
Leave a Reply