For Schumacher, Alonso is the strongest this season

After eleven Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso leads the World Drivers’ Championship after a season’s start that did not seem likely to see the Spaniard in such a position, especially with a forty-point lead over his closest pursuer. In an interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Michael Schumacher believes that the native of Asturias is the strongest active driver on the grid: « There are phases like this where everything seems to go right for you, but he has worked for it. »

For the German, even though he has two titles like the Spaniard, Sebastian Vettel, double reigning world champion, is not yet able to contend for the unofficial title of best driver in activity against Alonso: « Sebastian is a great guy and a great driver, but he is facing a different situation in his learning process. To be a great winner, you must be able to lose; it’s part of your development. It’s only when you’ve learned to lose that you can respect and enjoy victory even more. »

But the Kaiser is not the only one who considers Fernando Alonso the best driver on the 2012 grid. So, when the Sun asks Martin Brundle, commentator for the Grand Prix on Sky Sports, who he thinks the hero of this season would be, the Briton doesn’t hesitate: « It must be Alonso. Against all odds, without a teammate to help him and not having the fastest car on the track, he constantly manages to get through and wins races. »

The former Tyrrell driver believes, however, on Sky Sports, that the 40-point lead the Spaniard has is not enough: « I think Alonso will have to rely on Red Bull, McLaren, and Lotus taking points from each other, and he needs Massa to get involved with them and help take points from his rivals. I think obviously he has a nice lead, but I don’t believe it’s in the bag. »