Williams 'not a big fan' of 'sullen, uncommunicative' Alonso
In a frank admission somewhat befitting of his name, Sir Frank Williams has reflected that he is 'not a big fan' of double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso - describing the Ferrari star as 'sullen and uncommunicative'.
Alonso - who missed out on adding a third career crown to his impressive top flight CV due to a strategic error from his team and his own inability to overtake young Renault rookie Vitaly Petrov in the Abu Dhabi season finale last month - is deemed by many to be the best all-round driver on the grand prix grid, but with regard to his qualities as a human being, opinion is rather more divided.
The Spaniard's angry shake of the fist at Petrov on the slowing-down lap at Yas Marina in truth won him few fans, and whilst recognising his indisputable capabilities behind the steering wheel, veteran team owner Williams admits he struggles to warm to the 29-year-old on a personal level.
"I'm not really a big fan of Fernando Alonso," the unimpressed Englishman told ESPN. "He often looks a bit sullen, rarely acknowledges anybody and seems very uncommunicative. He's brilliant at racing cars, but seems to have no animation about him. Perhaps it's his own way of going about his business on a race weekend."
Williams was rather more effusive, however, about the future potential of newly-crowned F1 2010 World Champion Sebastian Vettel - the sport's youngest-ever title-winner - 2008 king Lewis Hamilton and Renault ace Robert Kubica, all of whom he contends will be consistent threats for glory over the coming years. And he warns that his own driver Rubens Barrichello is far from finished as a front-runner just yet, even as the veteran Brazilian nears his fifth decade.
"I'm not saying it just because he's the world champion, but I've always rated Vettel very highly indeed," the 68-year-old underlined. "He could win many titles and I think him, Lewis Hamilton and perhaps Robert Kubica in the right car might surprise everybody. As to Rubens, he is a very charming man, very mature and super-quick, especially in the wet. We are delighted with him."
