Alonso the modern-day master of the mental side of F1®

Long-time Formula 1® mind coach Don Macpherson has praised Fernando Alonso's mental approach to the sport, saying the Spanish F1® veteran stands above his peers as the driver who maximises all of the tools at his disposal.

Macpherson, a sports psychologist and author of the book 'How To Master Your Monkey Mind', has worked with a host of F1® drivers, including 1996 World Champion Damon Hill, David Coulthard, Mark Webber and David Brabham, as well as international rugby players and Grand Slam-winning tennis stars like Australia's Pat Cash.

Speaking to the In the Fast Lane podcast, Macpherson said Alpine's two-time world champion Alonso, who turned 41 at last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix and signed a multi-year contract to switch to Aston Martin earlier this week, is "number one by a country mile" of the drivers who master the mental aspects of the sport.

"Alonso is top, and there's daylight between him and anyone else," Macpherson told the Australian Grand Prix Corporation's official podcast.

"Fernando is the one genuinely maximising his own performance and the performance of the car, and that is being shown out by results. He is getting more out of the Alpine than the car deserves, and that is a man whose mind and body are together.

"You're maximising everything. He very rarely makes mistakes, he makes very good decisions, his brain is clearly working. There's enough space in Alonso's brain to be creative and think a step ahead, like chess."

Of the other drivers on the 2022 grid, Macpherson's trained eye singled out Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and McLaren's Lando Norris for praise.

"I like the way Sainz handles problems, the way he talks to the team, the way he takes charge. That shows confidence," he said.

"And I think Lando Norris has a good demeanour – he uses humour to deflect the anxiety and the danger."

The podcast is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts platforms.