Former Fernando Alonso F1 team-mate ARRESTED

A former F1 driver and team-mate of Fernando Alonso, Tarso Marques, has been arrested by Brazilian police, according to reports.

The Brazilian racing driver competed alongside Alonso at Minardi in 2001, and started 24 races over the course of his F1 career, where his best result was a ninth-place finish that he achieved in Brazil and Canada.

According to the Associated Press, Brazilian police have recently revealed that Marques was arrested in the early hours of Sunday for alleged illegal possession of a luxury car.

A statement from the police alleged that Marques was driving a Lamborghini Gallardo in Sao Paulo without plates. After he was stopped for a check, police said officers noticed there was an accumulated debt of 1.3 million Brazilian reals ($240,000) in connection with the car.

A lawyer for Marques did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Marques arrested in Brazil

Since leaving F1, Marques has competed in stock car racing and was originally meant to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022.

However, the Brazilian was prevented from competing without any prior experience in a stock car, and has not made any attempts to regain a NASCAR drive.

From 2006 until 2018, Marques competed in select Stock Car Brasil races but has not raced competitively in over a decade.

Marques has previously been complimentary regarding his former F1 team-mate Alonso, speaking to Aston Martin in 2024 about what makes the Spaniard so special.

"He's so talented, he can drive around the issues of the car," he said. "Even if the car was not good, he would change his driving style and make it go fast anyway; that's what makes him special.

"Similarly, if the weather conditions change during a race, he's great at adapting quickly and still going fast.

"No matter the conditions, the track, the car, he always gets the best from the equipment available and he can do so for the full race. Some drivers can do one or two laps flat out - doing that for the full race isn't easy - but he's able to drive an entire race on the limit.

"I am an Ayrton Senna fan like all Brazilians, and there are recent legends like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and now Max Verstappen, and it's very difficult to compare drivers across eras, but I think Fernando is as good as them or better."

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