Fernando Alonso has been compared to Brazilian soccer star Neymar because of his habit of exaggerating his complaints about his rivals on McLaren’s team radio.
The Haas team’s Danish driver Kevin Magnussen on Thursday told reporters that the two-time world champion had a tendency to exaggerate and claimed he had made a particular effort to undermine him during the British Grand Prix earlier this month.
“He does complain a lot on the radio,” he said. “But, I mean, we see it in other sports as well. Even great athletes like Neymar and stuff, they exaggerate a bit.”
During the British Grand Prix, Alonso called for the stewards to penalise Magnussen. He accused him of “very dangerous driving” during opening practice and also charged him with trying to force him off the track during the race.
He told his team by radio: “What I see from Magnussen, I never saw in my life.” Alonso’s pleas fell on deaf ears, as Haas team chief Gunther Steiner pointed out. “The stewards didn’t react, the race director didn’t react at all. So, I don’t need to comment on that one.”
Ahead of this weekend’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, Magnussen added: “For sure, Fernando is doing his job, he is one of the best drivers and he is very good in all aspects. He has been doing it a long time – he knows which button to push, so he tried. “He is trying to get the most for himself and it didn’t work two weekends ago.”
