The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Motor : Alonso set to take over Schumacher's crown

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 26, 2005

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Sport - Racing : Motor

Alonso set to take over Schumacher's crown

SAO PAULO: : Fernando Alonso is not even close to matching Michael Schumacher's accomplishments in Formula One, but the Spaniard's showing this season has made him favourite to take over from the seven-time champion.

Alonso start from pole position in the Brazilian Grand Prix, needs only a third-place finish to clinch his first championship. He also can win if McLaren-Mercedes' Kimi Raikkonen, the only other driver still in contention, fails to improve upon his starting position of fifth.

Despite being only 24 years old and on the verge of becoming the series' youngest champion, Alonso has shown attributes usually linked to veterans like Schumacher.

``The maturity he shows is well beyond his age,'' said Pat Symonds, Renault's engineering director who also worked with Schumacher when the German won his first two titles with Bennetton in 1994 and '95.

``He is a very intelligent guy, he is particularly good at reading a race, looking after equipment, in the same way that Michael is.''

Schumacher, who was 27 when he won his first title, has dominated F1 in recent years, winning the series' past five championships. The German has been a bystander this season, however, as Ferrari struggled to put together a competitive car. Alonso has only seven career victories compared to Schumacher's all-time record of 84, and eight pole positions to the German's 64.

Two records

But Alonso, in his third full season, already has two records that Schumacher couldn't conquer.

He was 21 when he became the youngest F1 driver to take pole position at the Malaysian GP in 2003, and the youngest winner at age 22 in the Hungarian GP later the same season.

Alonso is a year younger than Brazil's Emerson Fittipaldi when he won the first of his two world titles in 1972.

``I have great admiration for Alonso, he is really above the average,'' Fittipaldi said recently. ``He is a talented driver, with skills and maturity, my record will be in good hands.''

Schumacher is a 15-year F1 veteran and the oldest in this year's field at age 36. The Brazilian GP will be his 230th, while Alonso is yet to break the 70-race mark. — AP

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