Stewart backs rising star Alonso

Renault's Fernando Alonso has received much praise recently for his performances this season and the latest to add his approval is Sir Jackie Stewart. The former F1 champion and team owner thinks the sport needs a new star to liven things up a bit ...

Renault's Fernando Alonso has received much praise recently for his performances this season and the latest to add his approval is Sir Jackie Stewart. The former F1 champion and team owner thinks the sport needs a new star to liven things up a bit and Alonso, with three podium finishes from five races, has impressed many people.

Fernando Alonso with his fans.

Photo by Brousseau Photo.

"No matter how good you are, you have to have consistency," Stewart told BBC Radio. "And he's (Alonso) done it. He's had podiums and my impression of him is currently very high. We have a new star on board and we need it, because it's been static for a few years."

Not so long ago it was Juan Pablo Montoya who was touted as the most likely to threaten the championship but Williams is struggling this year. Stewart thinks the Colombian has the speed but needs to apply himself more.

"Montoya is fast," he said. "But he still has to master it, he's too aggressive. If he was ever able to match (Michael) Schumacher's commitment to driving technically he could be a big, big player."

The F2003-GA impressed with victory in Spain on its debut with Schumacher, although it was not the big step forward in performance many had expected. However, Ferrari is confident there is more to come from the car and Stewart thinks it's an ominous prediction: "That's going to be bad news for the rest of grid," he commented. "But I think there's room for improvement."