Sao Paulo: Fernando Alonso can take one of Michael Schumacher's many records on Sunday by becoming Formula One's youngest double world champion.
Whether the 25-year-old Renault racer can prise other milestones from the most successful driver the sport has ever known remains doubtful.
Pat Symonds, the Renault master strategist who guided Schumacher to his first two titles with Benetton before the German moved to Ferrari, believes Alonso has the talent but that is unlikely to be enough.
"Has he got what it takes? Yes, I think he has," he said of the Spaniard at the title-deciding Brazilian Grand Prix, Schumacher's last race before retirement.
"There are many similarities between Michael and Fernando and those similarities go beyond just being able to drive the car fast. I think Fernando and Michael are both very good at reading a race, they know when to go quickly and when to look after things," continued Symonds.
"He has the capability of doing it (beating Schumacher's records), but one of the interesting things about any competitive sport is that performance is relative.
"Not taking anything away from the achievements of Ferrari or Michael, but I think the rest of us were really asleep for a few years and if that were to happen again, then yes maybe Fernando can do it.
"But I think the level of competitiveness now in Formula One is such that it's unlikely to happen," added Symonds. "I think it will be a long, long while before we see the many records that Michael has set being approached, let alone broken."
