Aston Martin ambassador Pedro de la Rosa has expressed his hope that Fernando Alonso will continue racing for the team next year, describing the double world champion as "a big asset" despite being the oldest driver on the grid.
Alonso, who turned 45 last month, said before the summer break that he would use the time off to consider his options. A move to another team is not under consideration, leaving him to decide between continuing in Formula 1 or taking on an ambassadorial role.
De la Rosa's plea
De la Rosa, a former F1 racer with 104 starts, has known Alonso for a long time and competed against him. He told Express Sport that he hopes this is not Alonso's final year in F1.
"First of all, as a friend as well, I hope he stays," De la Rosa said. "Whatever he decides, he will play an important role. And I think that one of his biggest qualities, apart from his speed, is that the feedback he provides is phenomenal."
Alonso's value to Aston Martin
De la Rosa highlighted Alonso's ability to set priorities and provide clear feedback to engineers, which is especially valuable in a cost-cap era. "He will always give the first two, three priorities that the engineers have to work on. And in a cost cap world, this means a lot. So I really think he's just a big asset for us," he said.
"Hopefully he stays. If he stays as an ambassador, I'm sure that he will do a much better job than myself! I just hope he stays in the sport, in F1. Because if he doesn't stay here, he will definitely race elsewhere. In F1, he still deserves to achieve a good result. And then we will let him leave."
Partnership with Lance Stroll
De la Rosa also praised the relationship between Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll, calling it "very special" and "critical" for the team. "They're extremely open between them," he said. "I think it helps the fact that Fernando is at the end of his career and Lance has a whole career in front, so Fernando is really not in a position of hiding anything or playing tricks. He's just been very open. I think Lance realises that, and they really get on very well."
