The past Brazilian Grand Prix proved once again to be one of those races where, in the rain, special talent comes to the forefront. And the expert eye draws quick conclusions. At least that’s what former Spanish driver Pedro Martínez de la Rosa asserts. For him, there are many talented drivers in today’s Formula 1, but only two who are special.
Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. To De la Rosa, those are the only two truly distinct drivers left on the current grid. He even overlooks Lewis Hamilton, his former teammate and the most decorated driver in history. In difficult conditions, De la Rosa says the ones who keep shining are only two.
De la Rosa does not place Hamilton in the group of the special
The rain in Interlagos gave an opportunity for bright talent to shine, and there were things that spoke for themselves. Max Verstappen jumped 19 places to reach the podium after starting from the back of the grid, while Fernando Alonso, aboard a woefully underpowered Aston Martin, hovered around the points and passed Lewis Hamilton when it was raining hardest.
Details that the expert eye does not miss. Pedro de la Rosa, the Aston Martin ambassador in Formula 1, has asserted that “at this moment there are only two special drivers in Formula 1. They are Max and Fernando”. That is the conclusion the former Spanish driver drew from the Brazilian Grand Prix.
De la Rosa acknowledges that “the best drivers across all generations are in Formula 1 and you can find great talent. But there’s great talent and there are also special ones“, marking a clear distinction between Alonso and Verstappen and the rest. These two would be the premium drivers among the greatest.
Asked about other aspirants to join that list, De la Rosa says that “perhaps time will tell if Kimi Antonelli is one of them. Perhaps time will tell if Lando Norris could be one, or Charles Leclerc.” Curiously, he doesn’t even mention Hamilton, his former McLaren teammate and the most decorated driver in history.
In fact, De la Rosa considers that “Max is definitely one of the specials, like Fernando. They share a strong rapport because both see traits in one another that are very similar. Max is like a younger version of Fernando“. A pairing that many hope to see together at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The shame is that we never quite get to see them race against each other under equal or similar mechanical conditions.
Images | Aston Martin
