Felipe Massa criticizes Alonso for having 'two faces.'

      Fernando Alonso is described as a Formula 1 driver with "two faces" by his former teammate Felipe Massa. The now-retired Brazilian racer shared with Relevo that he is "not giving up" on his legal efforts to address the outcomes of the crash-gate scandal that affected the 2008 championship. In that year, before Alonso joined Ferrari, the Spaniard won the Singapore GP after Renault executed a perfectly timed safety car maneuver triggered by a deliberate crash from teammate Nelson Piquet.

      Massa referred to Alonso as an "incredible driver" and "one of the greatest phenomena in F1, without a doubt." However, he expressed his disapproval regarding Alonso's conduct during the 2008 incident, stating, "Fernando didn’t behave well. He never addressed the topic, and it’s unfortunate because his brilliance as a driver does not align with his actions at that time. He claimed he was unaware, but he concealed the truth. This is unacceptable since we are discussing a great athlete."

      Despite this, the 43-year-old Massa mentioned that he maintained a good relationship with Alonso while they were at Maranello. "I never had an issue with Fernando," he said. "However, he always presented two faces - one he displayed publicly and one he revealed behind closed doors. His focus was primarily on himself. In 2010, he had a fantastic championship and deserved to win, but he lost it possibly due to a strategic error. He lost two world championships in the final race, and I believe everything happens for a reason. Nothing is coincidental in our lives."

      Alonso, also 43, is currently with Aston Martin, where the renowned Adrian Newey will join to kick off work on the 2026 project in early March. When asked about Newey's potential impact on performance, Alonso remarked on Tuesday: "Adrian is going to be a free spirit. You can’t dictate what he should do. When he arrives, if he can assist us in 2025, that’s fine. If he prefers to focus solely on 2026, that’s acceptable too, as he has clear ideas and doesn't want to waste any time. I have asked Lawrence (Stroll) about this multiple times, and he always assures me that he doesn’t believe we can control him."