Troublemaker Alonso only has himself to blame - Piquet

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Three-time world champion Nelson Piquet says Fernando Alonso only has himself to blame for his relative lack of success in F1 in the past ten years.

Since clinching his last world championship in 2006, Alonso has won 17 races but has failed to win another title with either McLaren, Renault or Ferrari.

Piquet, whose son Nelsinho raced alongside the Spaniard at Renault in 2008, sees Alonso as an agitator who always ends up disrupting a team's harmony wherever he goes.

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"Fernando Alonso has had the chance to win up to five world championships, but the reality is that there is always a mess wherever he is," the Brazilian told broadcaster La Sexta.

"He is a fantastic driver, but also one who generates a lot of problems and in the end everyone ends up leaving the team.

"He is very bad politically in his work on the team. When you arrive on a team, at first you must be patient and work together, and later you win," Piquet added.

"But he always wants the best team all the time, and that is not the best way."

Asked to compare Alonso with four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the 65-year-old former driver doesn't give either man an edge.

"I do not think Alonso is better. I think they are at the same level."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.