Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes Fernando Alonso has mellowed since his return to F1, likening his attitude to new Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso stands as one of the most successful drivers in F1 history, with two World Championships and 32 grand prix victories to his name.

Guenther Steiner makes Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton comparison

However, the Spaniard remains without a race win since his penultimate season with Ferrari in 2013, with F1 2025 marking the 20th anniversary of his first of two consecutive titles with Renault.

Alonso took a two-year sabbatical in 2019/20 after a challenging spell with McLaren, playing an instrumental role in Toyota’s success in the World Endurance Championship and the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours race, before returning to F1 with Renault (now Alpine) in 2021.

He ended a seven-year wait for a podium finish at that year’s Qatar Grand Prix before claiming a total of eight top-three finishes in 2023 following his switch to Aston Martin.

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With Aston Martin entering a works partnership with Honda and signing F1 design guru Adrian Newey from Red Bull, Alonso remains hopeful of landing an elusive third World Championship when the sport’s new regulations come into effect in 2026.

Alonso’s attitude has come under scrutiny throughout his F1 career, with the 43-year-old making a habit of falling out with his employers.

When on the cusp of a second straight title with Renault in 2006, he claimed to have felt “a little bit alone” in key races during his title battle with Michael Schumacher, with Alonso leaving McLaren after just one season in light of the ‘Spygate’ saga in 2007.

In 2013, meanwhile, Alonso was publicly rebuked by then-Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo for commenting that he wanted “someone else’s car” as a gift for his 32nd birthday. Alonso and Ferrari parted company at the end of the following season.

Steiner believes Alonso has successfully restrained his “ego” since his return to F1, with his “immaculate” behaviour off track allowing his to focus on delivering behind the wheel.

Writing in his latest book, Unfiltered, Steiner said: “This is just my opinion, but in addition to winning the World Endurance Championship while he was out of Formula 1 and becoming a two-time Le Mans winner, Fernando learned how to make his ego work for him, which perhaps he did not do so well in the years before.

“And look at him now.

“He’s quiet, self-assured and conducts himself immaculately, which means he can put all of his emotional and physical energies into being brilliant on the track.

“He’s very much like Lewis Hamilton in that respect.”

Alonso signed a contract extension with Aston Martin earlier this season, taking him until the end of the F1 2026 season.

Appearing on the Formula For Success podcast in August, Alonso’s manager and Alpine adviser Flavio Briatore hinted that 2026 is poised to be the Aston Martin star’s final season with Alonso to decide whether to “continue for one more year.”

Briatore said: “If you ask me if Fernando wants to continue after we finish in the contract, our last year will be 2026 for the moment.

“What he wants to do after, I don’t know. Does he want to continue for one more year?

“The performance is there. You see the performance of Fernando, it’s there. It’s not a question of him losing concentration, during the race he’s always there.

“If he’s 11th, he wants to be 10th. If he’s 10th, he want to be ninth. He wants the car to be competitive. He’s qualifying well, he’s racing well.

“I don’t know, honestly, if he wants to stop with 2026 as his last year or if he wants to go ahead. Honestly, I don’t know.

“It depends on the feeling he has about racing and the timing, I don’t know if he’ll have a family at the time and whatever.

“But for sure, he is somebody unique. I’ve never seen somebody like that, so determined every day, every day, every day. Never give up. Unbelievable.”

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