Only a handful of athletes in international sports get to experience the level of success they do. It is only the crème de la crème that is remembered by the generations of successors to come. In the world of tennis, Roger Federer is one such face who has been at the pinnacle of the sport, while ensuring longevity. And it all comes down to his 6-word motto. F1’s Fernando Alonso, who was known to be a brat and hard to work with, has changed ways and built on that motto to be labeled the Federer of Formula 1.

Federer and Alonso are legends of their respective sports. The former, even into his 40s, performed like he was an up-and-coming star in the making, before retiring at 41. Having the “Right discipline and the Right motivation” is what he lived by. The Spaniard, however, has turned 42 and is still showing no signs of slowing down (pun intended). Aston Martin is greatly benefitting from his presence and he is nearly single-handedly giving them a chance at a Top 3 finish. Hence, brushing aside the conventional age questioning, Team Principal Mike Krack has reckoned Alonso to be a GOAT like Federer.

Krack said, “We discuss those things, but I can only say, you know, that at the level he is working on, I think age is just a number. When you see the desire… I’ve worked with drivers who weren’t even 30 years old and said ‘I’ve achieved everything’, you know, even though they haven’t really achieved much.”

“And then you have an example like Fernando, with a great mentality and enormous determination. With the right discipline and the right motivation, he will perform without problems. You see Valentino Rossi, for example, or you see tennis players: Federer had a very long career.”

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Both of them have dominantly reigned their respective sport at some point in their career. And this is a flattering comparison for both athletes. While Federer has retired, Alonso continues, albeit with mixed expectations for the future.

Fernando Alonso has bittersweet expectations for the upcoming Singapore GP

The Aston Martin racer has been on the podium more times than Lewis Hamilton this year. The beginning of the year was all about Alonso’s consistency and surprising pace. Though the 2nd half hasn’t been exactly motivating, he expects a better race than at Monza, but nowhere near Red Bull territory.

“Singapore will be better than Monza, that’s for sure,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “But to win a race we already know how hard it is. With Red Bull performing at an incredible level every Sunday. We will see if we are one of the candidates for Singapore.”

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Whatever the results turn out to be, seeing the 2-time champion happy and racing at his best gives us fans immense joy.