Fernando Alonso

At 42 years old, Fernando Alonso has this physical status:

Fernando Alonso Díaz (born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver and former Formula One racing driver.

He is a two-time Formula One World Champion and is often regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport.

He has contested 17 seasons of Formula One.

Outside Formula One, Alonso won the 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing.

He won the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans at his first attempt and won the race again in 2019.

He won the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona, after his debut in 2018.

He also contested the 2017 Indianapolis 500, and was due to contest in 2019 but failed to qualify. Born in Oviedo, the capital of the autonomous region of Asturias, Alonso started in karting from the age of 3.

He won three consecutive karting championships in Spain from 1994 to 1997, and he became world karting champion in 1996.

He made his Formula One debut in the 2001 season with Minardi, and then moved to the Renault team as a test driver the next year.

As a main Renault driver from 2003, he was crowned Formula One World Drivers' Champion in both 2005 and 2006.

At the age of 24 years and 58 days upon clinching the title, he was the youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion, and subsequently the youngest double Champion at the time.

He joined McLaren in 2007, before returning to Renault for two seasons in 2008 and 2009.

Alonso raced for Scuderia Ferrari for five seasons between 2010 and 2014.

During that time he finished second in the championship behind Sebastian Vettel three times (2010, 2012 and 2013), and won 11 further Grands Prix.

Two of those years, he narrowly lost the title at the final race.

He then returned to McLaren for four seasons between 2015 and 2018. Alonso has held various driving records in Formula One.

He was formerly the youngest driver to qualify on pole position and to win a Grand Prix at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix and the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix respectively.

He was the youngest World champion upon clinching the title at the age of 24 years and 58 days, and subsequently the youngest double World Champion.

From 2013 until 2015, he held the record for most career championship points.

Each of these records were surpassed initially by Sebastian Vettel.

As of February 2019, Alonso is the only Spanish driver to have won a Formula One Grand Prix and is the driver with the sixth highest number of Grand Prix wins, with 32.

As a winner of the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Alonso is one of just thirteen drivers (with Juan Pablo Montoya, one of two still active) to have won two of the three races that make up the Triple Crown of Motorsport. Alonso is nicknamed El Nano, a typical diminutive for Fernando in Asturias, his place of birth.

He is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.

Personal life

From November 2006 to December 2011, Alonso was married to Raquel del Rosario, the lead singer of the Spanish pop band El Sueño de Morfeo. Since 2022, Alonso has been in a relationship with Austrian television presenter Andrea Schlager. Alonso supports the Real Madrid and Real Oviedo football teams, and is a cycling enthusiast. He is 174 cm (5'9") tall, and speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Source

Early life and karting career

In Oviedo, Asturias, Northern Spain, Alonso was born on July 29th, 1981 to a working-class family. José Luis Alonso, the son of a mine shaft explosions factory mechanic and amateur kart racer, and his partner, Ana Daz, are married. Lorena, Alonso's elder sister who is a doctor, is the same as her.

He was educated at the Holy Guardian Angel Primary School in Oviedo, Spain (Spanish: Santo ngel de la Guarda), from 1985 to 1995 under the Basic Education System (Spanish: Educación General Básica). Alonso attended Universidad Leopoldo Alas Clarn of San Lazaro (Spanish: Instituto Leopoldo Alas Clarn de San Lazaro), until his time in motor racing led him to leave during his Curso de Orientation University (English: University Orientation Course) in 2000. Since he disobeyed his mother's instructions and rarely attended classes, he was given a license to study away from school. He had a good academic success by asking his classmates for notes and was unproblematic.

Alonso's father wanted a pastime to enjoy with his children and designed a go-kart for Lorena. She was uninterested in karting, and Alonso, a three-year-old girl, was awarded the kart. The karts' pedals were updated for driveability, and the local racing association gave him a mandatory kart racing license aged five; his father turned down a bid for his son to be a goalkeeper for the RC Celta de Vigo football team. The family did not have the funds to develop him in karts, so they were unable to buy rain tyres and ordered Alonso to change to a wet track on slick tyres. To improve himself daily, Alonso devised three timing segments going to college. His mother sewed his racing overalls and adjusted them as he grew; she also made sure Alonso was academically sound. Early on, his father was steered by his father, who served as his accountant, counsellor, boss, and mechanic.

Alonso, a seven-year-old boy, won his first kart race in Pola de Laviana. He represented the Asturias and Galicia junior Championship in 1988 and 1989, as well as the Cadet class in 1990. Gen's Marcó, a go-kart importer, was captivated by Alonso's mentorship; kart track owner José Luis Echevarria told him of Alonso. Marcó's family's finances were able to defray financial worries and enable him to participate in the European series. Mike Wilson, a six-time Karting World Champion, gave Alonso a test session at a track in Parma. Alonso was taught by Marcó to be conservative and maintain the kart's state.

In the 1991 Spanish Cadet National Championship, Alonso captured the 1990 Asturias and the Basque Country Cadet Championship, finishing second. Because he was under age to drive more robust machinery, the local karting federation allowed him to enter the 100cc class. Marcó asked Alonso if he wanted to compete in the Spanish Karting Championships at a Catalan Karting Championship meet in Móra d'Ebre. Wilson mentored Alonso, who joined the Italian American Motor Engineering Works team in 1993. From 1993 to 1995, Alonso won three straight Spanish Junior National Championships.

His achievement enabled him to qualify for the world championships. Alonso was third at the 1995 Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK-FIA) Cadets' Rainbow Trophy. Alonso was a mechanic who helped younger kart drivers earn money. In 1996, he captured his fourth Spanish Junior Karting Championship, the Trofeo Estival, the Marlboro Masters, and the CIK-FIA 5 Continents Juniors Cup. He won the Italian and Spanish International A championships in 1997 and was second in the European Championship with nine victories, the Masters Karting Bercy, and the Spanish Karting Championships.

Motor racing career

Aged 17, Alonso made his motor racing debut in the 1999 Euro Open by Nissan Campos Motorsport, winning the trophy from Manuel Gio in the final race of the season, with six victories and nine pole positions. After a sponsorship deal with driver Robert Lechner fell through, he advanced to the top-tier International Formula 3000 Championship with the Minardi-backed Team Astromega. Alonso finished second at the Hungarian State in the season's final round, winning with 17 points in the circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

Cesare Fiorio, the sports director, gave Alonso a test in a Formula One (F1) car at the Circuito de Jerez in December 1999 as part of Nissan's Euro Open campaign to offer its series champion the opportunity to test at a higher level. He served as Minardi's test and reserve pilot in 2000 before joining the team in 2001. Alonso's best result of the season came in a non-competitive vehicle and he gained no points for 23rd overall.

He volunteered to work with Renault for 2002 as the team's test driver, and he'll continue to develop himself for the future. Alonso worked with the engineering team to enhance Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button's results, as well as in Spain and the United Kingdom. In an evaluation session against test pilot André Lotterer and James Courtney at the Silverstone Circuit in May 2002, he rode a Jaguar. For 2003, Alonso was welcomed to the Renault race team. He went on to smash Bruce McLaren's record as the youngest F1 race champion at the Malaysian Grand Prix later this year, smashing his previous record of youngest driver to win a pole position in the season's second race, the Malaysian Grand Prix, later this year. He earned four podium appearances in 2003 and was sixth in the World Drivers' Championship with 55 points.

He was with Renault until 2004. Alonso's season had a good year, finishing third in third position and taking three more podium finishes this year. He took pole position in the French Grand Prix and secured no race victories en route to fourth in the World Driver's Championship with 59 points. Alonso worked with Renault until 2005. Kimi Räikkönen, a McLaren driver, fought him at the World Championship in 2005 due to legislation changes requiring teams not to change tyres during a race, and engines had to last for two races before being modified. Despite being lacking in speed, Alonso's car was more reliable than Räikkönen's. Alonso defeated Emerson Fittipaldi as the youngest World Drivers' Champion, winning seven titles, six pole positions, and fourteen podium finishes for 133 points.

In April 2005, he signed a contract extension with Renault. Alonso was chosen by bookmakers to keep the Driver's Championship. Michael Schumacher, Ferrari's primary rival, was his primary challenge. Alonso won six of the first nine races and finished no lower than second, earning the championship by 84 points out of a possible 90 points. An Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; F1's governing body)-imposed ban on Renault's tuned mass damper unit to slow Alonso and an increase in race development into Schumacher's Ferrari tied the two teams on points in the season's penultimate round, the Japanese Grand Prix. Alonso won the competition despite Schumacher's retirement due to an engine failure while not leading. For his second title, he had to score one point at the season-end Brazilian Grand Prix. Alonso captured the championship by finishing second, and was the youngest World Champion to race in Formula 1.

Dennis Dennis Dennis, McLaren team owner Ron Dennis, and Alonso met in Japan after Dennis told Alonso about how the team might move in the future, and Alonso expressed surprise in the possibility. Both men decided to work for McLaren from 2007 after committing to a three-year contract for Alonso. Alonso's deal with Renault came to an end on December 31, 2006, and he was not allowed an early release due to sponsorship reasons. In a practice session at the Circuito de Jerez in November 2006, Renault allowed Alonso to make his first appearance for McLaren. Lewis Hamilton, his coworker Lewis Hamilton and Räikkönen at Ferrari were his top competitors in 2007. Alonso won four Grand Prix titles in Malaysia, Monaco, Europe, and Italy, and he dominated the series until Hamilton overtook him. He had 103 championship points to Räikkönen's 100 and Hamilton's 107, and he needed to win the championship and for his teammate to finish third or lower for his third title before the season's final round. With 109 points, Alonso placed third overall and third overall. Hamilton had the same number of points as Hamilton, but the tie was broken on count-back as Hamilton came in second more often than Alonso.

Alonso and Hamilton were involved in a variety of events throughout the season, including the espionage controversy and the eruption during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, angering Alonso, who defied a team order, and Alonso responded by delaying Hamilton in the pit lane. By mutual agreement in November, the tensions in Alonso and McLaren ended, with mutual consent ending their employment. Alonso had been banned from joining a team that McLaren called their primary challengers for 2008. He signed a two-year contract to rejoin Renault from 2008 after rejecting bids from a number of teams, owing to the company's long-term dedication to F1 and on-track record. Alonso's car died early on due to an enforced moratorium on growth, and he earned nine points in the first seven races. He was able to improve his results in Singapore and Japan later thanks to aerodynamic changes to the vehicle; the former champion of the sport, Nelson Piquet Jr., was ordered to crash intentionally and order the introduction of the safety car in "crashgate." In the final five races, Alonso received more points than any other competitor in 43 percent. In the Drivers' Championship, he gained 61 points for his fifth position.

If Renault were lower than third in the Constructors' Championship, Alonso was expected to become a free agent for 2009. After being rejected by Red Bull Racing and Honda, he re-signed to Renault on a two-year deal. His car was noncompetitive because it didn't have a dual diffuser system or outright speed. In an attempt to make overtaking more possible, Alonso eschewed an aerodynamic front wing rule since he didn't believe it would help him. He earned points in eight races and one podium finish, earning one podium finish: a third-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix. Alonso took pole position in the Hungarian Grand Prix and led the first 12 laps before he retired after a wrongly fitted right-front wheel. Alonso finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship for his lowest ranking since he came sixth in 2003; he maintained his fame as one of the best drivers in F1 history.

He agreed with Ferrari President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo to drive for Ferrari in 2009, but team principal Jean Todt extended the deal between Felipe Massa and Räikkönen to 2010. Alonso obtained a mid-2009 license to race for Ferrari from 2011 to 2010, but the team was changed to 2010 after Renault was investigated for race fixing in Singapore and Räikkönen was suspended from the team. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber of Hamilton and Button, as well as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, were among Alonso's key championship matches. He won five races this season and entered the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, up eight points after being 47 points behind mid-season due to mistakes. Alonso finished second in the Vettel after being unable to reach Vitaly Petrov of Renault as a result of a strategy mistake by Ferrari.

His 2011 season was uneventful: his car was built conservatively and lacked aerodynamic stability and tyre control in qualifying, according to the author. After a Red Bull's strategic mistake, he gained more energy from his car to win the British Grand Prix. His best qualifying session of the year came in second at the Canadian Grand Prix, and he disqualified Massa fifteen times over the course of the season. Alonso finished fourth overall with 257 points; he was in contention to finish second behind eventual champion Vettel after a string of solid finishes until Webber claimed the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

Alonso signed his Ferrari contract ahead of 2012 until 2016. Vettel was his main competition for the title in 2012. With victories in Malaysia, Valencia, and Germany, as well as consistent points-scoring finishes, he was able to put up a 40-point lead in the Drivers' Championship. Alonso's points lead was shattered following two start-line collisions, a mechanical malfunction, and a higher effort for Vettel. Alonso's third championship season ended, with Vettel and Alonso finishing third and Vettel not scoring points for their third championship. Despite spinning on the first lap, he came in second second and Vettel finished fourth, his second time in his career.

Alonso was able to win in China and Spain with a boldly built car that earned him a lot of accolades. After a change of tyre compounds in the German Grand Prix and front and rear bodywork components that were supposed to improve his car's results, he was slower than Vettel. For the third time in his career, Alonso came in second with 242 points. His friendship with Ferrari slowed due to his suspicion that the team did not produce a championship-winning vehicle. Alonso's 2014 season saw him win no races because his car was less efficient than the championship-winning Mercedes, but he came third in the Chinese Grand Prix and second in the Hungarian Grand Prix. With 161 points, Alonso finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship. In 2014, he qualified quicker than his colleagues Räikkönen 16 times by an average of more than 1 second per lap.

After contract talks to remain at the team fell through, Alonso had serious disagreements with team principal Marco Mattiacci in 2014 and left Ferrari. He returned McLaren to McLaren as a three-year employee from 2015 to 2017 with no opt-out clauses. Alonso sustained a concussion and was removed from the circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in February 2015, during a pre-season test session, and he was replaced by reserve driver Kevin Magnussen in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. He had a difficult season: his Honda engine was underpowered, and his overall speed made him vulnerable to being passed. Alonso earned points twice in 2015, his tenth in the British Grand Prix and fifth in the Hungarian Grand Prix for the 17th time in the Drivers' Championship, with 11 points. He was dissatisfied with a stalemate, which became apparent after many radio complaints this year.

Despite the unreliable and noncompetitive vehicle, Alonso remained with McLaren for 2016. Tired from a big crash with Esteban Gutiérrez at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, he had to cancel the Bahrain Grand Prix on medical grounds and was replaced by reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne. He performed better than teammate Button fifteen times and scored nine times, including two fifth-place finishes in the Monaco Grand Prix and the United States Grand Prix. With 54 points, he came in tenth in the Drivers' Championship.

Alonso stayed at McLaren in 2017, but poor results marred his season, especially in the early rounds, and his best finish in the Hungarian Grand Prix was sixth. Alonso finished 15th in the Drivers' Championship after three straight top-ten finishes.

Alonso and McLaren agreed to a multi-year contract after confirming labor relations with Zak Brown, the McLaren CEO. He finished fifth at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix, with nine top-ten finishes. At every race, Alonso disqualified his colleague Stoffel Vandoorne and raced quickly and ferocially. After McLaren stopped building their car to concentrate on 2019, he became more dissatisfied with some drivers and his dedication to F1 waned. Alonso finished 11th in the Driver's Championship with 50 points and left the sport as a pilot at the end of the 2018 season, citing a perceived lack of on-track racing, the predictability of results, and anti-racing debates surrounding radio transmissions and polemics.

He remained at McLaren as a brand ambassador for the companies to help and advise drivers and attended certain test sessions to develop their cars. During a two-day Bahrain test in April 2019 to develop tyres for Pirelli, Alonso drove the MCL34. No further runs were scheduled for him or McLaren, who stayed on their current drivers. Alonso's ambassadorship with McLaren came to an end in 2019 and was not renewed for 2020.

Alonso, alongside Esteban Ocon, had signed Alonso to drive for Alpine F1 Team in the 2021 season, although Renault had rebranded the team under new banners. Alonso spent four days in preparation for his F1 return in 2020, and he was the fastest in the Renault R.S.20 in the post-2020 season. Alonso was forced to withdraw after plastic debris penetrated his brake duct in his first run with Alpine at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix. He finished in 11th after qualifying 15th, with teammate Ocon finishing ahead of tenth in 10th, but both were dropped one position after Kimi Räikkönen was disqualified, giving Alonso his first point of the season.

Alonso led the race in Hungary briefly before he stopped for pit stop and fell to fourth, behind Lewis Hamilton. Teammate Ocon praised Alonso's defense against Hamilton for enabling him to win his first race. In August 2021, Alonso invoked the right to extend his contract into the 2022 season. Following the summer break, Alonso finished sixth in Italy, sixth in Russia, and sixth in Russia, having been forced to pit under wet conditions and third in Qatar. His third-place finish at Qatar was his first podium finish since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alonso is set to join Aston Martin on a multi-year contract in 2023 to replace retiring Sebastian Vettel. Alonso joined the team because he wanted a multi-year deal extension, but Alpine was only able to give him one more year in F1.

Helmet and career number

Bieffe's helmet, manufactured in 2001, Arai (2003–2016), Schuberth (2010–2015), Alonso's flag, in the shades of blue of the Asturias flag, as well as two silver thunderbolt arrows derived from a remote control car he received as a gift in his childhood. When switching teams during his F1 career, he modified its mainbase colour scheme; in 2008, Alonso added two pictures of a spade, ace, and heart symbol to indicate that he was a two-time world champion.

He wore a gold and white coloured helmet to replace the blue and yellow for three successive Monaco Grand Prix, from 2011 to 2013, as well as the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix. Alonso sported a white helmet to celebrate his total number of career points compared to the previous Japanese Grand Prix of 1571, as well as a thank you note in French, German, and Italian.

In the colour red, the team's signature, as well as the flag of Italy in the center, he wore a helmet depicting a pit stop in that year. Alonso sported a black helmet with red, yellow, and blue stripes around it and his race number at the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and the 2017 United States Grand Prix. He changed the livery for the 2018 24 Hours of Daytona from black to white, with no stripes around the front. The back had the Daytona International Speedway's layout and continued to have his standard blue, red, and yellow colors.

Alonso's front livery updated to be mostly blue, with the back top a lighter shade and the rear red and yellow. His helmet for the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was divided equally between the flag of Spain on the right and a blue-checkered pattern around its helmet. The yellow stripe on the site was replaced by gold between two horizontal stripes in red, and a thick vertical stripe was added. Alonso has a record of 32 F1 races wins.

The FIA introduced a new rule in 2014 that allowed drivers to specify specific car numbers for use throughout their F1 career. Alonso requested the number 14 for it to be his lucky number since winning the world karting championship in a kart with number 14 on July 14, 1996.

Source