Fernando Alonso says his time at Ferrari earned him more respect from people in the F1 paddock.
The Spaniard took back-to-back championships with Renault in 2005 and 2006 but a switch to McLaren the following year resulted in a major falling out and a swift return to Renault. Joining Ferrari in 2010, Alonso missed out on the championship at the final race in his first season in Maranello and again in 2012, but he says producing consistent performances in less competitive cars boosted his standing.
"In reality, after my time at Ferrari, I get more respect in the paddock and in Formula 1 than ever before," Alonso told Spanish publication AS. "I've won two championships and I was world champion but I had a long career in me and when I won those titles it has to be said the Renault was very good in my first year compared to the McLaren in terms of reliability.
"In the second, the Michelins were superior to the Bridgestone. People always talk about the reasons behind those two titles but I've been in F1 for 16 years now and there are fewer discussions now.
"People respect me a lot more now thanks to so many races and performances week in and week out. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't."
However, Alonso believes he will not be regarded as one of the greatest drivers ever without more titles.
"No, I don't think so. [Gilles] Villeneuve is one of the greatest Ferrari drivers of all time... but for the media it's important to win titles, it's the same philosphy as in football. Winning titles... but that's another thing."
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