Ferrari insider reveals unseen Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso traits

Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso’s true personalities are not what the public thinks, a Ferrari insider claims.

Schumacher’s stint at Ferrari is legendary, yielding five F1 championships which took him to a total of a record seven (which Lewis Hamilton has matched).

Alonso was also brilliant in a Ferrari, particularly in a sensational 2012 season, but he couldn’t bring a drivers’ title to Italy.

Both drivers had reputations as being somewhat stoic or prickly inside the paddock.

“What you see from the outside is not what you get on the inside,” Rob Smedley, an engineer at Ferrari during both drivers’ stints, told the Red Flags podcast.

“[Fernando] is like Michael. Michael used to have this external perception that he was arrogant, robotic and a terrible person.

“Actually, he was a beautiful human being. He was very generous.

“He was humble, he had humility. He had self-doubt which drove him to be as great as he was.

“He always questioned himself. He was very generous with the team, that he couldn’t do this without the team."

True Fernando Alonso personality revealed

“Fernando is a very private character," Smedley insisted. 

"The personality you see is not what you get within the team.

“His personality within the team? He is intensely competitive.

“He wants to win within the rules at all costs.

“That makes him somebody that you want on your side. You desperately need him in your team because it’s so intense and difficult, you need people who are constantly on the front foot.

“Fernando is a sportsman, he is competitive. It sometimes boils over, like it did with Michael, like it does with everyone.

“Fernando, when you’ve got him on your team, you’ve got a real asset.”

Alonso’s prickly side has manifested itself in rivalries with Hamilton, which reappeared as recently as his time with Alpine.

Alonso, entering a third year with Aston Martin in 2025, is aiming for a 33rd grand prix win which has eluded him since 2013.