Why Alonso needs to think like Federer

Ten full Formula 1 seasons have passed since Fernando Alonso, widely considered the finest driver of the current era, last won the world championship. Quite frankly, it is ridiculous that it's been that long.

The double world champion has come close during that period - three times, in fact. Just 11 points separate him from being a five-time world champion.

The first miss, in 2007, was his own doing as he cracked under pressure when battling rookie McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton. In 2010 and '12 he was let down by Ferrari.

Whatever the reasons, he hasn't put together a season quite good enough to take the third title he's still desperately searching for.

The statistics do not back him to achieve this. The record for the biggest gap between titles, in terms of active seasons, is held by Graham Hill, who won in 1962 and then '68.

Niki Lauda had a gap of six seasons, with triumphs in 1977 and '84, but he did not contest the '80 and '81 campaigns.

But Alonso backs himself to defy history. He has an innate ability to get the best out of the car, regardless of its weaknesses. He also never gives up, no matter how lost the cause. The quest for that third title - one he feels he deserves - drives him on.

As each year goes by, that challenge becomes harder. The renewed McLaren-Honda alliance is not yet a race winner and at 35, Alonso will be the third oldest driver on the 2017 grid, behind only Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.

But as tennis superstar Roger Federer, 11 days his junior, proved last weekend by beating his nemesis Rafael Nadal in a breathtaking five-set thriller of a final in the Australian Open to win his first Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2012, it's still possible to return to the very top after a long absence.

The key difference in comparing Federer and Alonso is the technical side. Alonso could be the most talented driver in the world and train harder than anyone, but he'll have no chance of winning the title if his team does not give him a car capable of doing so.

Federer does not have that limitation, but they do share many similarities.

When the Swiss won the first of his 18 men's singles titles with a straight-sets victory over big-serving Australian Mark Philippoussis at Wimbledon 2003, five years after turning pro, he was the young pretender.

It did not take him long to impose himself, winning three of the four Grand Slams the following year. From there, he enjoyed a purple patch, dominating tennis until 2009.

Alonso took his first grand prix win in Hungary in 2003, two years after his F1 debut for Minardi, and added his first title two years later. Another championship followed in '06, and he kept winning races with McLaren, Renault again, and then Ferrari until early '13.

Throughout that time, Alonso's and Federer's drive never wilted in the face of the growing threat from the younger generation.

When Alonso toppled Michael Schumacher, and won the title in 2005 and '06, it was supposed to herald his era - but it hasn't turned out that way.

Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen, who were on the grid when Alonso made his debut in 2001, have since won the title. Relative newcomers Nico Rosberg, Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have triumphed too.

Federer, by contrast, delivered on the expectation. He won Wimbledon seven times, including a run of six in seven years. He spent a record 237 weeks as world number one between February 2004 and August '08. But he too has faced the rise of the next generation.

He bravely fended off the challenge from Nadal, before being toppled. He also found himself unable to fight the younger, fitter Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Times have been even tougher of late, with the late-blooming Stan Wawrinka coming through, along with Juan Martin Del Potro and the likes of Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori, who are capable of beating anyone on their day.

Alonso has had Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel to contend with and now faces the threat from Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz Jr, Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon.

Alonso and Federer do not give up. Federer, despite being arguably past his prime, has still been there at the death on occasion, reaching the Wimbledon final in 2014 and the Wimbledon and US Open finals in '15. But he failed to reach the final in any of last year's Grand Slams, even if injury played its part in that.

Alonso's last win was at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2013, 73 races ago (although he has missed two of those through injury), but he has had flashes of brilliance in that period.

In 2014 he delivered a tremendous performance in tricky conditions in Hungary, losing the race lead late on to Ricciardo before holding on to second. And his last five wins have come in unquestionably not the best car.

In the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji in 2008, he was the one calling the shots on strategy to get his Renault out ahead of early race leader Robert Kubica. The team told him to "sprint like hell" if he wanted to win. He did just that, building a gap of just over 12 seconds in 25 laps to secure victory.

Even with McLaren having a tough time, Alonso continues to prove his class. Fifth in Monaco last year in tricky conditions, when the car struggled on sensitive tyres, was impressive. His charges from the back row to finish inside the top seven in Belgium and Malaysia were also classic Alonso. So the hunger still remains.

That hunger is vitally important. Federer was better equipped to beat Nadal when he had the opportunity at Melbourne Park last Sunday. He realised these chances do not come along very often. And before Australia he had not played competitively since losing to Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals last year.

He had rested well, having been injured almost a year ago after falling over while bathing his children, prompting the first surgery of his career.

With Djokovic and Murray both out, that opened up the draw. Federer seized his chance. There was almost nothing to chose between Nadal and Federer in that five-set final. It was a titanic battle, just like old times.

Federer knew this was his chance, perhaps even his last. But even he knew a positive outcome wasn't guaranteed. After all, he had lost his last six Grand Slam meetings with Nadal.

Federer just wanted it more. You could see it in his eyes. He looked so relaxed, made fewer errors and believed it was possible.

Alonso shares that same belief and the tough times have made him stronger. When he gets an opportunity, he takes it - that's never changed during his 15-year F1 career.

However, where Alonso and Federer differ is that the tennis star has been able to control his frustration at no longer being the force he once was. He accepts when he's beaten by the better player, resets and goes again. His Australian Open triumph is evidence that method works.

Alonso is not as disciplined and it's clear his frustration over a lack of titles is growing. As time marches on it appears the prospect of leaving F1 with only two is starting to get very real. You could argue the increasing desperation for a third title may be counter-productive should he end up with that opportunity.

If McLaren fails to make significant enough steps this year, does Alonso make one more move? He has previously suggested he would end his career at McLaren - but would the prospect of joining another team, and a shot at the title, make him change his mind?

His move to McLaren in 2007 did not pay off. Neither did his Ferrari switch. And his return to McLaren isn't delivering yet. With each move comes new hope that he can recapture those golden years at Renault. But each time he does, the chances become more remote.

But then there's his hunger. He has proved time and time again that he is sharp enough to take a chance when he gets it. As he showed when he barged past Sainz in last year's United States Grand Prix, he's not afraid of the new generation of drivers - even if they have arguably raised the bar.

"I just drove myself forward - fight and see if you get lucky," said Federer after his win. "Tonight I got lucky".

Given his record against Nadal, it's understandable why he would say that. But he was doing himself a disservice. Against all the odds, against all logic, Federer seized his opportunity and was the better player, not only on the night but throughout the tournament - and that's when it counts.

That opportunity could present itself to Alonso in the near future, especially given that the regulations are changing in way that should better please him.

He knows he is running out of time. Whether Alonso can compete at the highest level with the very best, should he get a car capable of doing so, is impossible to predict.

If he is at that level, a third title is possible. But if it turns out he is in decline, will further frustrations set in? That will be his real challenge.

Ultimately, he's unlikely to have a title shot in 2017. Even '18 may be too early. Come '19, he'll be 37. Time catches up with us all.

But Alonso will be trying not to think about that and instead using his self-belief to inspire him to keep going. Federer's success in Melbourne proves Alonso could be onto something. The question is whether he can replicate that feat.