Stefano Domenicali, who worked with both Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso during his 19-year tenure at Ferrari, believes there isn't much that separates the two drivers from each other.
Domenicali's first stint at the helm of the Scuderia started in 1996, right in the midst of the team's Schumacher golden years when he worked as the outfit's team manager directly under the orders of Jean Todt.
He took over Todt's responsibilities in 2007, and under his guidance Ferrari won the 2008 Constructors' championship. The team's performance remained inconsistent thereafter, with Alonso just missing out on the title in 2012.
Having extensively witnessed the talent of both Schumacher and Alonso, Domenicali believes the two men have a lot in common although their respective periods at Ferrari were very different.
"I rate Fernando an incredible driver," the Italian said in F1's latest Beyond the Grid podcast.
"I would say, as always, in terms of numbers, Michael. But Fernando… don’t forget that he was able to win and he was able to get closer to be very successful also with Ferrari.
"In my view, first of all, Michael has finished his career, Fernando not yet, so let’s see if he will be able to win the so-called ‘Triple Crown’.
"I hope for him he can do it. But for sure it would have been nice to see them competing with the same car to see who was the best."
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The stats offer a compelling case in favour of Schumacher who raked in 72 wins in a decade while Alonso delivered just ten wins during his five-year stint with the Scuderia.
But Domenicali says one must look beyond the numbers to justify the contrasting success.
"The difference from these two periods is from one side [with Schumacher] we had the best team ever in terms of positions in all the roles, in terms of performance, in terms of drivers," he explained.
"When Fernando was with Felipe [Massa] the car, unfortunately, was not the best for a lot of reasons and, despite that, we were able to get close to win championships.
"I would say very unlucky we didn’t win 2010 and 2012 for two different reasons.
"Despite that, we were able to arrive at the end fighting for the championship and this is an element that is not taken for granted because top drivers need to have a good car, " he added.
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