Fernando Alonso Describes Michael Schumacher as the Strongest Opponent He Has Faced in F1

Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain waves as he arrives at the third practice session of the Monaco Grand Prix in Monaco May 24, 2014. REUTERS/Robert Pratta REUTERS

Despite having finished behind Sebastian Vettel on three Formula One (F1) Championships in 2010, 2012, and 2013, Fernando Alonso has described Michael Schumacher as the strongest opponent he has ever faced in F1.

Scuderia Ferrari bridges the summer break ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix, which begin on Aug. 24 and Sept. 7, respectively, with a short video Alonso discussing the racers he had battled in the past. In the said interview with the Italian racing team's official website, Alonso looked back at his opponents in F1.

Alonso recalled the great names in the history of F1 and revealed that he admired and respected Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna, and Alain Prost while growing up as a kid. When asked who he think was his "strongest opponent" outside of his own racing team, Alonso said that the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was the toughest rival he has ever faced in F1.

"The strongest in Formula 1 was Michael," Alonso said. According to Alonso, Schumacher was racing "on another level" during the time when he ruled the F1 championships from 2000 until 2004.

"With him, it was never easy." Alonso also shared his thoughts when he finally got the chance to ride against Schumacher on the same level. "He was able to do something special, something more than you were expecting, or maybe more than the car was capable of."

The former Renault driver snatched the trophy from Schumacher in 2005 and 2006.

Meanwhile, it has been silent on the subject of the current health condition of Schumacher. No news updates have been shared to the general public since it was announced that Schumacher has woken up from coma and has been going through rehabilitation treatment at a medical facility in Lausanne, Switzerland to continue his recuperation after a skiing accident and suffered serious brain trauma when his head struck a rock in the French Alps in December.