Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin – Bio, F1 Record, Stats and News

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Fernando Alonso is a Formula One icon and the oldest driver on the current grid at 41 years old. This season Alonso is competing for Aston Martin, his sixth different outfit in F1.

The Spanish legend has driven for many teams in the past, including Minardi (2001), Renault (2003-2006), McLaren (2007), Renault (2008-2009), Ferrari (2010-2014), McLaren (2015-2018) and Alpine (2021-2022).

Why Is Fernando Alonso a Legend in F1

Fernando Alonso started his journey in F1 in 2001 with Minardi. First he was the reserve driver of the team in 2000 and after one year he made his debut. His first race was the Australian Grand Prix where he finished 19th, well behind another debutant and F1 legend, Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso finished his first season in F1 with zero points.

However, Renault still decided to give him a contract in 2002. At first, he was a test driver and in 2003 he was promoted to the first team. It was a great decision for Renault. At 21 years old, Alonso became the youngest driver to win a pole position at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Later that year he become the youngest driver to win a race in Formula One, at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alonso finished sixth in the drivers’ standings in 2003 with 55 points. He had four podium finishes in that season. In 2004, he improved his record with Renault as he finished fourth in the championship with 59 points.

In 2005, Fernando Alonso made history and won his first championship with Renault. He was just 24 years old at the time and that’s why the Spanish driver broke Emers Fittipaldi’s record as the youngest champion in F1. Alonso won seven races that season and finished it with 133 points, above Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher.

The Spaniard defended his title in 2005 and become the youngest ever double world champion. Michael Schumacher finished 13 points behind Alonso that season. Also, Renault beat Ferrari in the constructors’ championship thanks mostly to Alonso’s performances.

In 2007, Fernando left Renault and signed with McLaren where his teammate was young Lewis Hamilton. The two had a few incidents and Alonso decided to terminate his contract because of it, so he went back to Renault. However, the French team was no longer fighting for a championship.

Alonso finished ninth in the drivers’ standings with 26 points in 2009, which was his lowest result since 2003. After that season he signed for Ferrari, where he replaced Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso was very close to win the drivers’ championship in 2010. He finished the season four points behind Sebastian Vettel after a memorable race in Abu Dhabi. Alonso was ahead before that race, but he finished seventh and Vettel won the race, ultimately winning the championship despite never being at the top of the standings before the last race of the season.

The Spaniard left Ferrari in 2014 after 11 wins. He finished three times second in the drivers’ standings and became very disappointed, so he decided to return McLaren in 2015. He struggled with the engine and complained a lot of times about the pace. He finished 17th that season.

At the end of 2018, decided to retire from Formula One. He started to race in other events like 24 Hours of Le Mans, IndyCar Series or Dakar Rally. He even won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is a rare and impressive feat.

In 2021, Alonso returned to F1 and signed with Alpine after the rebranding of the team. He scored 81 points and finished tenth in drivers’ championship. In 2022, he scored again 81 points and left Alpine for his current team, Aston Martin.

Bitter Rivalry With Lewis Hamilton

It all started in 2007 at McLaren when the rookie Lewis Hamilton challenged two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and their rivalry even caused Alonso to leave the team despite having a contract.

The two have been fighting each other on the tracks ever since and they had some memorable duels. In 2013, they had a great wheel-to-wheel battle on the Canadian Grand Prix. Alonso passed Hamilton in the end and finished second behind Sebastian Vettel.

In 2022, Alonso and Hamilton had a collision at the Belgian Grand Prix. After that, Alonso called Hamilton an ‘idiot’. Later he apologized and said that he was in heat of the moment. Alonso also said that Hamilton won seven titles because of the strong car Mercedes provided to him.

Terrifying Crash With Charles Leclerc

One of the scariest crashes of Fernando Alonso’s career happened at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2018 when Hulkenberg hit him from behind and pushed Alonso’s car was over the top of the car that Charles Leclerc was driving. The halo saved the life of Leclerc in this terrifying incident and the young driver from Monaco himself said that he was very lucky to be alive after such a crash.

From a Working-Class Family to F1 Championship

Fernando Alonso was born in a working-class family. His mother is Ana Maria Diaz Martinez and his father is Jose Luis Alonso. He also has a sister, Lorena Alfonso Dias. Jose Luis Alonso was an amateur kart driver in the past. He wanted to share this hobby with Fernando. This is how the Alonso started to love racing.

One Divorce Behind Alonso, Currently In a Long-Term Relationship

The driver was married with singer Raquel del Rosario between 2006 and 2011. They divorced and Fernando is now dating TV personality Andrea Schlager. In 2018, Alonso said: “Formula One left me with no friends, no family, no free time, no privacy, no wife and no kids”. So, the driver still has no kids and doesn’t plan to have them at this time.

One of the Richest F1 Drivers Overall

Fernando Alonso has a net worth of 240 million euros. He was able to build his fortune thanks to his great achievements in Formula One. Also, the driver owns over 300 cars. His collection includes Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche models. Right now, he is earning 5 million per year at Aston Martin. Fernando is the 10th best paid driver on the grid.

• Full name: Fernando Alonso Diaz
• DOB: 29th July 1981
• Age: 41
• Place of Birth: Oviedo, Spain
• Nationality: Spanish
• Team: Aston Martin F1 Team
• Race number: #14

Started with Karting Like Many Other F1 Drivers

Fernando Alonso began his career in karting at three years old, thanks to his father. He won many local and national championships through the years and that helped him get a spot in the Euro Open Championship.

The driver made his debut in Euro Open by Nissan in 1999, at 17 years old. He won the title after six wins and nine pole positions. In 2000, he competed in International Formula 3000 Championship for Minardi-Astromega. He impressed in this competition and Minardi offered him a seat in their F1 team.

Optimistic for 2023 F1 Season with Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso had a dream start this season since he finished third in the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was his first podium since 2021 and one of the best results even before getting out of F1 in 2018.

Alonso passed on Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr. to finish third in this race, but he was also a bit lucky after Charles Leclerc abandoned the race. After the race, Fernando Alonso praised the Aston Martin car. He said it is an unreal achievement from the team, so he seems really positive about the 2023 F1 season and judging by the F1 odds, he has reason to be optimistic since the bookies see him as the third favourite at odds between 10/1 (11.00) and 15/1 (16.00).