Fernando Alonso is the Formula 1 driver maximising opportunities the best in 2012. That is the view of former driver Derek Warwick, who this weekend will experience his first British Grand Prix since becoming President of the BRDC.
Warwick took up the BRDC (British Racing Drivers’ Club) role last year, succeeding Damon Hill who has since become a pundit for Sky Sports F1. In the eyes of the 1992 World Sportscar Champion, a few names stand out despite the open nature of 2012.
“The driver to beat at the moment is Alonso,” Warwick told GPUpdate.net. “He has always been the best driver out there, pound for pound, and he is proving it because he has just been superb in what is an underperforming car in relation to McLaren and Red Bull. That win in Valencia was just out of the top drawer, it really was amazing.
“What a fantastic year; now we have a dominant Red Bull but they are tripping over themselves, so maybe it will be Alonso’s year…maybe the consistency and good driving is going to pay off because he keeps making the best of his situation and it is pretty phenomenal. Pirelli seems to have produced a construction that is beyond belief in terms of teams, engineers and drivers. I think that is where the clever drivers seem to make up for that because people like Alonso seem to be more on top of it than others.”
At the same time, the Jersey man – who scored four F1 podium finishes for Renault in 1984 – is wary of the current double World Champion.
“The cream always rises,” Warwick continues. “You have got Vettel down in fourth and you wouldn’t put your house on him still not coming through and winning the World Championship. He is still a phenomenal driver, as we all know. I think there is a pecking order and, without putting them in any particular order, the top three is Lewis (Hamilton), Vettel and Alonso; I think they are a little bit above the rest at the moment, with people like Button, Rosberg, Schumacher and Webber just a fraction of a second behind.”
Unable to make a solid prediction for Silverstone, with seven different drivers having clinched victory at the opening eight races of the year, Warwick concludes:
“It’s a great season. In the past, with Sky+, I would watch some of the race at +30 speed because it got boring. There is not one race this year which I have watched at fast speed because, if you do, you miss something.”
Opening free practice for the British Grand Prix begins at 10am local time (BST) on Friday and can be tracked through the interactive GPUpdate.net Live Report.
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