"Better than Schumacher and Senna" – Tarso Marques on what makes Fernando Alonso so special
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Fernando Alonso's first Formula One team-mate, and Banco Master influencer, Tarso Marques, lifts the lid on working with the Spaniard at Minardi and the friendship that forged, and explains what makes him one of the all-time greats.
When Fernando Alonso made his F1 debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, not even the most visionary of scriptwriters could have imagined the career that would, and continues to, follow.
However, for Tarso Marques, Fernando's first F1 team-mate, none of the succeeding 23 years came as a surprise. For him, Fernando's talent was evident from the young Spaniard's very first turns of a Minardi steering wheel.
As the pair reacquainted themselves with one another in the build-up to the São Paulo Grand Prix, Tarso took a moment to reflect on Fernando's formative first F1 season, reveal what made Fernando standout straight away, and lift the lid on the man behind the visor.
First impressions
"I had heard about Fernando as a talented kid coming through the junior ranks. I knew that he was a very young and very fast driver, but the first time I met him was only about two weeks before the first race of the 2001 season.
"He signed for Minardi before me – I joined the team later because I was supposed to be racing in IndyCar that year when they called me up. One of my responsibilities was to guide Fernando, as I had more experience – that was one of the main reasons the team hired me: to try to help Fernando.
"I really liked his personality from the start, and he became a friend. I never really had team-mates as friends, but Fernando was the first where we got along really well. I've always said racing drivers can't be friends – a lot of what you see on the TV, that's not real – but we really did get on."
If I had to pick one driver for my team, I would choose Fernando.
Tarso Marques
Knowing the real Fernando
"Fernando has always been shy but, at the same time, he's happy and comfortable around people that he's familiar with. He was very young and quiet, as I was, when we first met but as we got to know each other more we really clicked.
"He's very loyal and remembers those who have supported him from the beginning of his career and throughout, and he treats them well. He's obviously a very competitive guy; he's an F1 driver and a World Champion after all, but he's also a really charming person and I don't think he's changed from the 19-year-old I first met years ago.
"Of course, we were much closer before when we were team-mates and I don't know him as well as I did but, on the few occasions we have seen each other since then, we have always had a great time and that great relationship is still there.
"Back in 2001, we had a difficult situation because Minardi didn't have the money to improve the car. We were trying to help each other and help the team and we spent a lot of time together – that created a bond. We had fun together. We had holidays together. I know a very fun guy that loves to make jokes, play around with people; he's really cool."
A cut above
"I had some great team-mates in my career: David Coulthard, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Mark Webber; but Fernando was by far the best one.
"The most impressive thing about Fernando was he learnt circuits very quickly, much faster than most. Even at a new circuit, he'd be very quick straight away, finding the limit in a couple of laps. Some drivers have a lot of difficulty with that.
"He's so talented, he can drive around the issues of the car. Even if the car was not good, he would change his driving style and make it go fast anyway; that's what makes him special. Similarly, if the weather conditions change during a race, he's great at adapting quickly and still going fast.
"No matter the conditions, the track, the car, he always gets the best from the equipment available and he can do so for the full race. Some drivers can do one or two laps flat out – doing that for the full race isn't easy – but he's able to drive an entire race on the limit.
"It was hard to stand out in 2001 because the car struggled – sometimes you'd finish 16th but you would know that was a great result and you had got the best out of the car – but I remember one race where Fernando had amazing pace was the Spanish Grand Prix. He finished 13th and during the race he was so quick, getting everything he could from the car and driving consistently fast.
"Sometimes when a driver comes from the junior formulae, despite being quick, they struggle in F1, but Fernando was the opposite. Everybody knew he was special back then."
Fernando deserves more titles than he has. Those two world titles are great, but it's not a true reflection of his talent.
Tarso Marques
True greatness
"I am an Ayrton Senna fan like all Brazilians, and there are recent legends like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and now Max Verstappen, and it's very difficult to compare drivers across eras, but I think Fernando is as good as them or better.
"If I had to pick one driver for my team, I would choose Fernando. I think he was better than Schumacher when they raced against each other and, Brazilians will get upset, I would say he's better than Senna too.
"Senna was amazing, a natural talent, but the truth is that he used to make more mistakes than Fernando. Fernando learned quickly how to drive a race not just fast but intelligently – something I would say of Hamilton too.
"Fernando’s probably the greatest, along with Hamilton. I think Fernando should be on his level in number of titles – he just hasn't had the right car at times. I think he deserves more titles than he has. Those two world titles are great, but it's not a true reflection of his talent. He should have much more than that
Future planning
"The car has to be good enough, but Fernando is still showing he can beat anyone with the right equipment. F1 is difficult to predict, especially as the rules and regulations change so often, but he has shown at Aston Martin Aramco what he can still do. 2023 was a great year and I was expecting a victory because he was coming so close.
"It will obviously be a challenge to put everything together the right way immediately, but now Aston Martin Aramco has a strong driver pairing in Lance and Fernando combined with the best designer in F1 – the team has a brilliant package.
"And I think Adrian's arrival could keep Fernando in F1 for longer. He still has the pace so I'm sure with a quick car it will motivate him to keep going for a couple more years yet. It could be amazing."
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