'Buzzing Alonso the greatest there is!' says Brown

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After putting McLaren rookie Stoffel Vandoorne on the same list as Ayrton Senna, Zak Brown now claims that Fernando Alonso is simply greatest driver in the world!

The second statement currently seems more realistic than the first and is shared by a good many F1 folk despite Alonso enduring lean years since rejoining McLaren in 2015.

The 35-year-old is still as hungry as ever to achieve a third world championship as he enters his sixteenth season of Grand Prix racing, according to Brown.

"First of all, I want to correct you: I don't see Fernando as disillusioned at all," said Brown, when it was suggested by the official Formula One website that Alonso was losing his enthusiasm.

"I don't know him well yet, but I've met him a few times, and phoned him too, and he's buzzing. Even though our car wasn't fully competitive last season, some of his drives were stunningly good.

"Look, I'll be frank: I reckon he's the best driver in the world, period."

Brown rates Vandoorne: 'He's a future world champion!'

Zak Brown's logic of putting Vandoorne on the same list as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton but omitting Alonso, whom he considers the greatest out there, is strange.

We'll let the racing decide the logic in the next twelve months.

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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.