Asked to nominate his favourite to win the 2010 world championship, Nelson Piquet said he would bet money on Fernando Alonso.
In the wake of last year’s ’crashgate’ scandal, the former Renault driver is now building a stock car career in America.
He has also raced stock cars in Brazil, and later this year will return to a European track when he drives a Ferrari 430 in the Open GT race at Barcelona.
In between stints in a Brazilian stock car last weekend, the 24-year-old Brazilian told Globo: "I cannot say that I will never return to formula one."
Piquet said he rates Alonso for the 2010 title after spending the 28 races of his entire F1 career as the Spaniard’s teammate.
"He was such a good driver that, to try to get to his level, I had to push myself in ways I did not know even existed," he said.