Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (Spanish pronunciation: [feɾˈnando aˈlonso ˈði.aθ] (listen); born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, having also driven for McLaren, Ferrari and Minardi. With Toyota, Alonso won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 2018 and 2019, and the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2018–19. In 2019, he won the 24 Hours of Daytona with Wayne Taylor Racing.
Alonso in 2016 | |||||||
Born | Fernando Alonso Díaz 29 July 1981 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
Nationality | Spanish | ||||||
Active years | 2001, 2003–2018, 2021– | ||||||
Teams | Minardi, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari | ||||||
2021 team | Alpine-Renault[1] | ||||||
Car number | 14 | ||||||
Entries | 314 (311 starts) | ||||||
Championships | 2 (2005, 2006) | ||||||
Wins | 32 | ||||||
Podiums | 97 | ||||||
Career points | 1,899 | ||||||
Pole positions | 22 | ||||||
Fastest laps | 23 | ||||||
First entry | 2001 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||
First win | 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix | ||||||
Last win | 2013 Spanish Grand Prix | ||||||
Last entry | 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | ||||||
2018 position | 11th (50 pts) | ||||||
FIA World Endurance Championship career | |||||||
Debut season | 2018–19 | ||||||
Current team | Toyota Gazoo Racing | ||||||
Car number | 8 | ||||||
Starts | 8 | ||||||
Championships | 1 (2018–19) | ||||||
Wins | 5 | ||||||
Poles | 4 | ||||||
Fastest laps | 0 | ||||||
IndyCar Series career | |||||||
2 races run over 3 years | |||||||
Team(s) | No. 66 (Arrow McLaren SP) | ||||||
2017 position | 29th | ||||||
Best finish | 29th (2017) | ||||||
First race | 2017 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
Last race | 2020 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
| |||||||
24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
Years | 2018-2019 | ||||||
Teams | Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe GmbH | ||||||
Best finish | 1st (2018, 2019) | ||||||
Class wins | 2 (2018, 2019) | ||||||
Signature | |||||||
Born in Oviedo, Asturias to a working-class family, he began go-karting at the age of three and achieved success in local, national and world championships. Alonso progressed to car racing at age 17, winning the Euro Open by Nissan in 1999 and was fourth in the International Formula 3000 Championship of 2000. He debuted in Formula One with Minardi in 2001 before joining Renault as a test driver for 2002. Promoted to a race seat in 2003, Alonso won two drivers' championships in 2005 and 2006 from Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher, respectively. After finishing third with McLaren in 2007, he returned to Renault for 2008 and 2009 and won two races in the former year for fifth overall. Alonso drove for Ferrari from 2010 to 2014, finishing runner-up to Sebastian Vettel three times in tightly contested title duels in 2010 and 2012 and again in 2013. A second stint with McLaren from 2015 to 2018 resulted in no further success.
Overall Alonso won 32 Formula One races, 22 pole positions and 1,899 points from 311 starts. He is the only Spanish Formula One driver to have won both a Grand Prix and the World Championship and was the youngest one and two-time drivers' champion at the time of his successes and held the records of youngest pole position sitter and race winner. He won the 2001 Race of Champions Nations Cup with the rally driver Jesús Puras and the motorcyclist Rubén Xaus for Team Spain and thrice entered the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, 2019 and 2020. Alonso's has been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, the Premios Nacionales del Deporte Sportsman of the Year Award and the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit and has twice been inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame. He runs an eSports and junior racing team and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Early and personal life
Alonso was born on 29 July 1981 to a working-class family in Oviedo, Asturias, Northern Spain.[2][3] He is the son of the mine shaft explosives factory mechanic and amateur kart driver José Luis Alonso,[3][4] and his wife,[4] the department store employee Ana Díaz.[2][5] Alonso has an elder sister, Lorena, who is a doctor.[5]
He was educated at the Holy Guardian Angel Primary School (Spanish: Santo Ángel de la Guarda) in Oviedo from 1985 to 1995 under the Basic Education System (Spanish: Educación General Básica).[6] Alonso attended the Institute Leopoldo Alas Clarín of San Lazaro (Spanish: Instituto Leopoldo Alas Clarín de San Lázaro) until his career in motor racing caused him to leave during his Curso de Orientación Universitaria (English: University Orientation Course) in 2000.[6] He was granted a permit to study away from school,[7] after he disobeyed his mother's orders and seldom attended classes.[8] He achieved a good academic performance by asking his classmates for notes and was unproblematic.[6][9]
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.[10] Since then he has been in relationships with four different women.[11] Alonso supports the Real Madrid and Real Oviedo football teams,[7] and speaks English, French, Italian and Spanish.[12] He has a samurai tattoo on his back to show muscle strength, intelligence and force of will inspired by the 18th century spiritual guide Hagakure.[13]
Karting career
Alonso's father wanted a hobby to share with his children and built a go-kart for Lorena. She was uninterested in karting and a three-year-old Alonso received the kart.[2][4][14] The karts' pedals were modified for drive-ability,[3][7] and the local racing federation granted him a mandatory kart racing license aged five;[5] his father rejected an offer for his son to be a goalkeeper for the RC Celta de Vigo football club.[7][15] The family lacked the finances required to develop him in karts;[2] they could not purchase rain tyres and forced Alonso to adapt to a wet track on slick tyres.[16] Alonso devised three timing sectors going to school to improve himself daily.[17] His mother sewn his racing overalls and adjusted them as he grew;[18] she ensured Alonso was academically well off.[2] His father steered the kart early on and was his accountant, counselor, manager and mechanic.[18][19]
Aged seven, Alonso won his first kart race in Pola de Laviana.[5][20] He won the 1988 and 1989 children's junior Championship of the Asturias and Galicia, and progressed to the Cadet class in 1990.[21][22] Due to rising expenses incurred by his father,[21] the go-kart importer Genís Marcó was impressed by Alonso and mentored him; the kart track owner José Luis Echevarria told him about Alonso. Marcó found personal and sponsorship money for Alonso's family to defray financial concerns and allow him to enter European series.[5][8][23] He spoke to the six-time Karting World Champion Mike Wilson, who gave Alonso a test session at a track in Parma.[21] Marcó taught Alonso to be conservative and maintain the condition of a kart.[24]
Alonso won the 1990 Asturias and the Basque Country Cadet Championship and finished second in the 1991 Spanish Cadet National Championship.[5] The local karting federation allowed him to enter the 100cc class because he was deemed underage to drive more powerful machinery. At a Catalan Karting Championship meet in Móra d'Ebre, Marcó asked Alonso if he wanted to enter the Spanish Karting Championship.[23] Wilson mentored Alonso; he joined the Italian American Motor Engineering works team in 1993.[21] Alonso won three successive Spanish Junior National Championships from 1993 to 1995.[22]
The results allowed him to progress to the world championships.[5] Alonso was third at the 1995 Commission Internationale de Karting (CIK-FIA) Cadets' Rainbow Trophy.[21] Alonso was a mechanic to younger kart drivers to earn money.[7] He won his fourth Spanish Junior Karting Championship, the Trofeo Estival, the Marlboro Masters,[22] and the CIK-FIA 5 Continents Juniors Cup at the Karting Genk in 1996.[21] In 1997, he took the Italian and Spanish International A championships and was second in the European Championship with nine wins, the Masters Karting Paris Bercy and the Spanish Karting Championship.[5][22]
Motor racing career
Junior racing career
Aged 17, Alonso made his car racing debut in the 1999 Euro Open by Nissan with Campos Motorsport, winning the title from Manuel Gião at the final race of the season with six wins and nine pole positions.[lower-alpha 1] For 2000, he progressed to the higher-tier International Formula 3000 Championship with the Minardi-backed Team Astromega,[14][2] after a sponsorship agreement with driver Robert Lechner fell through.[26] Alonso finished second at the Hungaroring and won the season-ending round at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for fourth overall with 17 points.[14]
Minardi and Renault (2001–2006)
Cesare Fiorio, the sports director, gave Alonso a test in a Formula One car at the Circuito de Jerez in December 1999 as part of the Euro Open by Nissan's organising company RPM agreement to give its series champion an opportunity to test at a higher level.[27] He was Minardi's test and reserve driver in 2000 before joining its race team in 2001.[2] In a non-competitive car,[28] Alonso's best result of the season was a tenth-place finish in the German Grand Prix and scored no points for 23rd overall.[14]
He signed as Renault's test driver for 2002 per the orders of manager Flavio Briatore to familiarise himself with the team and improve himself for the future.[29][30] Alonso worked with the engineering department to improve Giancarlo Fisichella's and Jenson Button's performance,[31] and tested in Spain and the United Kingdom.[32] He drove a Jaguar in an evaluation session against test drivers André Lotterer and James Courtney at the Silverstone Circuit in May 2002.[33] Alonso was promoted to the Renault race team for 2003.[14] He went on to break the records of youngest driver to win a pole position at the season's second race, the Malaysian Grand Prix, and broke Bruce McLaren's record as the youngest Formula One race winner at the Hungarian Grand Prix later in the year.[lower-alpha 2][34] He achieved four podium finishes in 2003 and was sixth in the World Drivers' Championship with 55 points.[14]
He remained with Renault for 2004.[35] Alonso had an improved season: he finished the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in third position and took three more podium finishes that year. He took pole position for the French Grand Prix and achieved no race victories en route to fourth in the World Drivers' Championship with 59 points.[14] Alonso stayed at Renault for 2005.[2] He duelled with McLaren driver Kimi Räikkönen for the World Championship in 2005 due to regulation changes mandating teams not to change tyres during a race and engines had to last for two races before they could be changed. Alonso's car was more reliable than Räikkönen's albeit lacking in speed.[36] Alonso eclipsed Emerson Fittipaldi as the youngest World Drivers' Champion with seven victories, six pole positions and fourteen podium finishes for 133 points.[2][14][36]
He signed a contract extension with Renault for 2006 in April 2005.[37] Bookmakers installed Alonso as the favourite to retain the Drivers' Championship.[38] His primary competition was Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher.[2][39] Alonso won six of the first nine races and finished no lower than second to lead the championship with 84 out of a possible 90 points.[14][32] An Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; Formula One's governing body)-imposed ban on Renault's tuned mass damper device to slow Alonso and an increase of development into Schumacher's Ferrari for competitiveness saw the two tied on points entering the season's penultimate round, the Japanese Grand Prix.[2][39] Alonso won the race as Schumacher retired due to an engine failure whilst leading.[39] He needed to score one point at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix for a second title.[40] Alonso won the championship by finishing second and was Formula One's youngest two-time World Champion.[lower-alpha 2][34]
McLaren and second stint with Renault (2007–2009)
He and McLaren team owner Ron Dennis met secretly in Japan after Dennis talked to Alonso about driving for the team in the future and Alonso expressed interest in the idea. Both men agreed to a three-year contract for Alonso to drive for McLaren starting from 2007.[41][42] Alonso's contract with Renault expired on 31 December 2006, and he was not granted an early release for sponsorship reasons.[43] Renault allowed Alonso to make his first appearance for McLaren in a test session at the Circuito de Jerez in November 2006.[43][44] His main competitors in 2007 were his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Räikkönen at Ferrari. Alonso achieved four Grand Prix victories in Malaysia, Monaco, Europe and Italy and led the championship until Hamilton overtook him.[45] Prior to the season's final round, the Brazilian Grand Prix, he had 103 championship points to Räikkönen's 100 and Hamilton's 107, and needed to win the race and for his teammate to finish third or lower for his third title.[46] Alonso finished the event third for third overall with 109 points. He had the same number of points as Hamilton; the tie was broken on count-back as Hamilton finished second more often than Alonso.[14][47]
Throughout the season, Alonso and Hamilton were involved in a number of incidents such as the espionage scandal and him delaying Hamilton in the pit lane during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix which resulted in tensions between both drivers and the team,[42][48] culminating in Alonso and McLaren terminating their contract by mutual consent in November.[48][49] Alonso was forbidden from joining a team whom McLaren considered their primary challengers for 2008.[50] After rejecting offers from several teams,[51] he signed a two-year contract to rejoin Renault from 2008 because of the manufacturer's long-term commitment to Formula One and on-track record.[52][53] Alonso's car lacked power early on due to an imposed moratorium in development and he scored nine points in the first seven races.[32][54] He was thereafter able to improve his performance later due to aerodynamic developments to the car's and won in Singapore and Japan;[32] the former race saw Renault order his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. to crash deliberately and trigger the deployment of the safety car in what became known as "crashgate".[14] Alonso scored more points than any other driver in the final five races with 43.[54][55] He scored 61 points for fifth in the Drivers' Championship.[14]
Alonso was due to become a free agent for 2009 if Renault were lower than third in the Constructors' Championship.[56] After offers from Red Bull Racing and Honda,[56][57] he resigned to Renault on a two-year contract.[58] His car proved to be noncompetitive because it lacked a dual diffuser system and outright speed.[32][59] Alonso eschewed an aerodynamic front wing mandated in an attempt to make overtaking more possible since he did not believe it would help him.[14] He scored points in eight races and achieved one podium finish: a third-place at the Singapore Grand Prix.[60] Alonso won pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix and led the first 12 laps before he retired following an incorrectly fitted right-front wheel.[61] Alonso was ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 26 points,[14] his lowest placing since he came sixth in 2003;[60] he maintained his reputation as one of Formula One's best drivers.[14]
Ferrari (2010–2014)
He agreed with Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo to drive for Ferrari in 2009, but team principal Jean Todt extended the contracts of both Felipe Massa and Räikkönen to 2010.[62] Alonso obtained a mid-2009 agreement to drive for Ferrari from 2011 on but it was moved to 2010 after Renault were investigated for race fixing in Singapore and Räikkönen was released from the team.[60][63] McLaren's Hamilton and Button and Red Bull's of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were Alonso's main championship competition.[64] He won five races that season and entered the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix leading by eight points after being 47 behind mid-season following errors. Alonso finished runner-up to Vettel after he was unable to pass Renault's Vitaly Petrov following a strategy error by Ferrari.[14][65]
His 2011 season was mixed: his car was built conservatively and lacked aerodynamic grip and tyre handling in qualifying.[66] He extracted additional pace from his car to claim ten podium finishes and win the British Grand Prix after a strategy error from Red Bull. His best qualification of the year was a second at the Canadian Grand Prix and he out-qualified his teammate Massa fifteen times over the course of the season. Alonso was fourth overall with 257 points; he was in contention to finish second to eventual champion Vettel following a series of strong finishes until Webber won the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.[14][67]
Ahead of 2012, Alonso extended his contract with Ferrari until 2016.[68] His main competition for the title in 2012 was Vettel.[69] Wins in Malaysia, Valencia and Germany and consistent points-scoring finishes allowed him to build a 40-point lead in the Drivers' Championship. Thereafter start-line collisions, a mechanical failure and an improved performance for Vettel eliminated Alonso's points lead.[14][70][71] Alonso entered the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix 13 points behind Vettel and needed to finish third and for Vettel not to score points for a third championship.[69] He was second and Vettel finished fourth to be runner-up for the second time in his career on 278 points.[14][71]
To begin 2013, Alonso drove an aggressively designed car allowing him to win in China and Spain and consistently scored points.[14][72] He was slower than Vettel after a change of tyre compound at the German Grand Prix and front and rear bodywork components intended to improve his car's performance were ineffective.[72][73] With 242 points, Alonso was second for the third time in his career.[14] His relationship with Ferrari cooled due to his perception the team could not construct a title-winning car.[74] Alonso's 2014 season saw him achieve no race wins because his car was less powerful than the championship-winning Mercedes but took third in the Chinese Grand Prix and second in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso fell to sixth in the Drivers' Championship with 161 points.[14][32] He qualified faster than his teammate Räikkönen 16 times by an average of more than ½ second per lap in 2014.[74]
McLaren (2015–2019)
Alonso had severe disagreements with team principal Marco Mattiacci in 2014 and left Ferrari after contract negotiations to remain at the team fell through.[74] He rejoined McLaren on a three-year contract from 2015 to 2017 with no opt-out clauses.[75] An accident during a pre-season test session at Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in February 2015 saw Alonso sustain an concussion and he was replaced by reserve driver Kevin Magnussen for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.[76] He endured a difficult season: his car's Honda engine was under-powered and overall speed leaving him vulnerable to being passed.[77] Alonso scored points twice in 2015: a tenth in the British Grand Prix and a fifth in the Hungarian Grand Prix for 17th in the Drivers' Championship with 11 points.[14] He was dissatisfied with a slow pace, which became evident after multiple radio complaints that year.[78][79]
Despite the unreliable and noncompetitive car,[80] Alonso remained for McLaren for 2016.[81] Injuries from a heavy crash with Esteban Gutiérrez at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix caused him to miss the Bahrain Grand Prix on medical grounds and was replaced by reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne.[82] Alonso qualified better than teammate Button fifteen times and scored points nine times, which included two fifth-place finishes in the Monaco Grand Prix and the United States Grand Prix. He was tenth in the Drivers' Championship with 54 points.[14] Alonso told his colleagues he would stay at McLaren in 2017.[83] Poor unreliability affected his season, particularly during the early rounds, and his best finish was a seventh in the Hungarian Grand Prix. After three consecutive top-ten finishes, Alonso finished 15th in the Drivers' Championship with 17 points.[14]
Following contract negotiations with the McLaren CEO Zak Brown,[84] Alonso signed a multi-year extension with McLaren on 19 October 2017.[85] He finished fifth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and took nine top-ten finishes.[14] Alonso out-qualified his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne at every race and drove quickly and aggressively. He became increasingly annoyed with certain drivers and his commitment to Formula One waned after McLaren stopped developing his car to focus on 2019.[86][87] Alonso was 11th in the Drivers' Championship with 50 points,[14] and left the sport as a driver at the end of the year, citing a perceived lack of on-track racing, the predictability of results and felt discussions away from racing about the broadcast of radio transmissions and polemics harmed the series.[88]
He remained at McLaren as a brand ambassador to aid and advise drivers and drove in select test sessions to develop their cars. Alonso drove the MCL34 during a two-day in-season post-race Bahrain test in April 2019 to develop tyres for Pirelli.[89] No further runs were planned for him and McLaren focused on their current drivers.[90] Alonso's ambassador contract with McLaren expired at the end of 2019, and was not renewed for 2020.[91]
Alpine (2021–)
Alonso is due to drive for Alpine F1 Team for the 2021 and 2022 seasons,[92] after Renault rebranded the teamname to Alpine from 2021 onwards. In preparation for his Formula One return, Alonso performed four testing days driving the Renault R.S.18 and the post 2020 season young driver's test driving Renault R.S.20. for Renault.[93][94][95][96]
Other racing
Alonso made his endurance racing debut at the 1999 24 Hours of Barcelona, finishing 10th overall in an Hyundai Accent he shared with Antonio García, Salvi Delmuns and the journalist Pedro Fermín Flores.[97] He won the 2001 Race of Champions Nations Cup with the rally driver Jesús Puras and the motorcyclist Rubén Xaus for Team Spain,[98] and was eliminated by Jeff Gordon of the United States in his group race a year later.[99]
In 2018, Alonso raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona for the first time. He shared the No. 22 United Autosports Ligier JS P2 with Lando Norris and Philip Hanson, which finished 38th overall after mechanical issues affected his race.[100] He later raced the full 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship alongside Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima at Toyota Gazoo Racing. Sharing the No. 8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid, the trio won the World Drivers' Championship after a season-long duel with their teammates Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López with five race victories, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2018 and 2019.[101] Alonso returned to compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019. He won the rain-shortened race in a Wayne Taylor Racing-entered Cadillac DPi-V.R with Kobayashi, Renger van der Zande and Jordan Taylor.[102]
He first drove the Indianapolis 500 in 2017. Alonso drove for McLaren Honda Andretti, qualifying in fifth position for the race and leading four times for a total of 24 laps before retiring with engine failure with 21 laps remaining while running in seventh place. He was classified 24th.[103][104] He returned to the Indianapolis 500 for a second time with McLaren in 2019. An error converting inches to the metric system causing his car to scrape the tarmac surface on his first lap on track and incorrect gear ratios meant Alonso failed to qualify for the race.[lower-alpha 3][106] He entered the Indianapolis 500 in 2020 for his third attempt at winning the race, this time with Arrow McLaren SP after an agreement with Andretti Autosport fell through.[107] Alonso finished the race in 21st after clutch issues slowed pit stops.
Alonso entered the Dakar Rally with Toyota in 2020 following a five-month training programme testing in Africa, Europe and the Middle East and driving a series of races to better himself.[108][109] With co-driver Marc Coma, he finished the event in 13th position with a best stage finish of second place. A stop for repairs on the second stage and a roll on the 10th lost him several hours in the general classification.[110]
Driving ability
Alonso is often regarded as one of the greatest Formula One drivers in the history of the sport.[111] Journalists and fellow drivers regarded Alonso as a fast and consistent driver who can extract additional pace from a car in all weathers and all tracks.[112][113] Fisichella said Alonso understands when to go faster and when to preserve his tyres in a race.[113] Former racing driver and the Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle described Alonso as "Senna-like in his intimate feel for where the grip is" and cited the drivers' knowledge on how much grip to use for the entry to a turn.[113] He drives aggressively and uses a braking area to put a car into a corner without losing speed exiting it. This allows Alonso to keep it "on the edge of adhesion" and it has been observed during a qualifying session and the first laps of a race.[17] He uses more of his ability longer than other drivers and is better able to understand his personal limits.[112]
His experience increased his awareness of events around him and competitors in a race and adjusted his situation to focus on the drivers' championship.[114] Alonso is an all-round driver who can mount an apex and correct a sliding car to go faster.[115] He is careful in finding the ideal feeling with his brakes and can apply the maximum amount of force with a fast response time. Alonso's physical strength contrasts his braking skill and regularly exceeded that limit without overdoing it on multiple conditions.[116] According to Jonathan Noble of Motorsport.com, this allows Alonso to "create a kind of natural ABS – fully exploiting tyre grip to achieve greater speeds while turning without locking the wheels."[116]
Helmet and career number
Helmet design
Alonso's helmet manufactured by Bieffe (2001), Arai (2003–2009, 2016), Schuberth (2010–2015)[117][118] Bell (2017–)[119] sports the yellow and red colours of the flag of Spain with shades of blue from the Asturias flag coupled with two silver thunderbolt arrows derived from a remote control car he received as a present in his childhood on top.[120] He changed its mainbase colour design when switching teams during his Formula One career; in 2008 Alonso attached two pictures of a spade, ace and heart symbol to show he was a two-time world champion.[121]
For three successive Monaco Grand Prix from 2011 to 2013 and at the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix, he wore a gold and white coloured helmet to replace the blue and yellow.[122][123] At the following 2013 Indian Grand Prix, Alonso sported a white helmet to celebrate his total number of career points scored up to the preceding Japanese Grand Prix of 1571 and with the words "F1 points World Record" accompanied with a thank you message in English, French and Italian.[124]
His final event for Ferrari at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw him wear a helmet with a picture depicting a pit stop in that year in the colour red, signature of various team members and the flag of Italy in the centre.[125] At the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and the 2017 United States Grand Prix, Alonso sported a black helmet with red, yellow and blue stripes around it and his race number.[126][127] He revised the livery for the 2018 24 Hours of Daytona to white instead of black and had no stripes around the front. The back had the layout of the Daytona International Speedway and continued to have his usual blue, red and yellow colours.[126]
In 2018 Alonso changed its front livery to be predominantly blue with the back top lighter blue and the rear red and yellow.[128] His helmet for the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was divided equally between the flag of Spain on the right with a blue-checkered pattern around its side. The yellow on that area was replaced by gold between two horizontal stripes in red and a thick vertical strip was added with a list of Alonso's 32 Formula One race victories.[129]
Career number
For the 2014 season, the FIA created a new regulation that allows a driver to select a car number for use throughout their Formula One career. Alonso requested the number 14 for it has been his lucky number since he had won the world karting championship at the age of 14 on 14 July 1996.[130]
Image and impact
Nate Saunders of ESPN writes that Alonso "is one of the most eloquent speakers in Formula One and one of the best at interacting with the media".[131] He occasionally uses press conference with the press to cultivate particular narratives of a story, convey himself as controlling the Formula One driver market or as the one with knowledge of facts of a situation.[131] Alonso dislikes fame, prefers a private life,[132] and Chris Jenkins for USA Today described him as a shy individual.[3] He eschews expensive habits and items,[133] and in his early career brought an entourage of childhood friends to Formula One races.[132] Alonso is an atheist and a non-believer in destiny.[134]
His public persona is very different from his private personality.[135] Fellow Spaniard driver Carlos Sainz Jr. noted "there are two Fernandos", alluding to Alonso's defensive nature when criticised because of his shyness, compared to his sense of humour, generosity and kind-nature when not racing.[135] According to the Autosport journalist Ben Anderson, Alonso's success in Formula One required him to behave egotistically and selfishly and has a self-confidence to easily deal with the consequences of taking an approach of able to "burst egotistical bubbles" to improve himself.[135] Alonso acknowledged the façade and told Anderson "I know who I am outside of F1, but that remains a question mark for everybody because I like to separate my personal life from my professional life" and his different personality traits in public and private.[135]
Journalist Nigel Roebuck calls Alonso "the first world-class racing driver to come out of Spain",[132] and is credited for popularising Formula One in the country, where it was once considered a fringe sport and a lesser known form of motorsport than motorcycling and rallying.[136] He was Personality Media's favourite male athlete with a 99 per cent recognition rating amongst the Spanish public in 2015;[137] in the latter part of his Formula One career, Alonso was within the top two most popular drivers in the Grand Prix Drivers' Association fan surveys of 2010, 2015 and 2017.[138]
The Fernando Alonso Sports Complex in Oviedo was opened in June 2015 and features a CIK-FIA compliant karting track featuring 29 layouts. A museum dedicated to his racing career called 'Museo y Circuito Fernando Alonso' opened in the same year and features Alonso's race cars, helmets, overalls and memorabilia.[139]
Endorsements and philanthropy
Alonso has done business with Banco Santander, Cajastur, TAG Heuer, Europcar, Silestone,[140] Liberbank,[141] ING,[142] Chandon,[143] and Adidas.[144] He is the founder and brand ambassador of the fashion retailer Kimoa,[145] and intended to establish the Fernando Alonso Cycling Team to compete in UCI events in 2015 before the project failed to materialise.[lower-alpha 4][146] As a result of Alonso's endorsement money and Formula One salary, he has been listed as one of the world's highest-paid athletes by Forbes every year from 2012 to 2018.[147] The magazine named him motorsport's top-earning driver from June 2012 to June 2013,[148] one of 2016's top earning international stars,[149] and one of 2017's highest-paid international and European celebrities.[150][151] Alonso also featured on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2008 and 2017.[152] In 2020 Alonso has also confirmed sponsorships with a variety of brands for his Indy 500 attempt including:Progressive, Richard Mille, Bell Sports, Duelit, 226ers, Mission Foods, Ruoff Mortgage and Lucas Oil Products.[153]
In 2020 Alonso and Bang & Olufsen also announced a partnership.[154]
In November 2017 Alonso established an eSports racing team called FA Racing G2 Logitech G of which he is the team principal and competes in virtual online racing championships on multiple platforms.[155] The team dissolved in 2018 and launched another in partnership with FA Racing and Veloce Esports in March 2019.[156] Alonso's team has also competed in the F4 Spanish Championship, the Formula Renault Eurocup and karting.[157] He is an investor and board member of the eSports multi-racing platform Motorsport Games.[158]
The UNICEF Spanish Committee named Alonso a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in February 2005 to promote and defend children's rights and awareness of UNICEF.[159] Alonso promoted India's efforts to eradicate polio in 2011 and handwashing with soap to school children in 2012.[160][161] He supported UNICEF's anti-cyberbullying campaign in November 2017.[162] Alonso founded the Fundación Fernando Alonso (English: Fernando Alonso Foundation) in 2007 to promote motor racing and road safety education.[122]
Awards
Alonso received the 2003 Autosport Gregor Grant Award for winning the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix.[163] He also won the Princess Cristina National Sports Award for sporting newcomer in that year.[164] Alonso was named the recipient of the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy in April 2005.[165] From October 2005 to May 2006 he received the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports, the Premios Nacionales del Deporte Sportsman of the Year Award and the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit for winning the 2005 Formula One World Championship.[166]
He was named the 2006 Autosport International Racing Driver of the Year.[167] Alonso was voted the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year for his performance in the 2017 Indianapolis 500.[104] He was inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame in 2017 for being a Formula One World Champion and again as a FIA World Endurance Champion in 2019.[168][169] This made Alonso the first driver to have been inducted into the FIA Hall of Fame twice.[169]
Racing record
Career summary
Complete Euro Open by Nissan results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap; small number indicates the finishing position)
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Campos Motorsport | ALB 1 Ret |
ALB 2 1 |
JER 1 Ret |
JER 2 DNS |
JAR 1 Ret |
JAR 2 1 |
MNZ 1 Ret |
MNZ 2 Ret |
JAR 1 2 |
JAR 2 Ret |
DON 1 1 |
DON 2 1 |
CAT 1 7 |
CAT 2 1 |
VAL 1 2 |
VAL 2 1 |
1st | 164 |
Source:[170] |
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap; small number indicates the finishing position)
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Team Astromega | IMO 9 |
SIL EX |
CAT 15 |
NÜR Ret |
MON 8 |
MAG Ret |
A1R 6 |
HOC Ret |
HUN 2 |
SPA 1 |
4th | 17 | |
Source:[171] |
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap; small number indicates the finishing position)
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
IndyCar Series
Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | McLaren-Honda-Andretti | Dallara DW12 | Honda | STP | LBH | ALA | PHX | IMS | INDY 24 |
DET | DET | TXS | RDA | IOW | TOR | MDO | POC | GTW | WGL | SNM | 29th | 47 |
2019 | McLaren Racing | Dallara DW12 | Chevrolet | STP | COA | ALA | LBH | IMS | INDY DNQ |
DET | DET | TXS | RDA | TOR | IOW | MDO | POC | GTW | POR | LAG | – | 0 |
2020 | Arrow McLaren SP | Dallara DW12 | Chevrolet | TXS | IMS | ROA | ROA | IOW | IOW | INDY 21 |
GTW | GTW | MDO | MDO | IMS | IMS | STP | 31st | 18 | |||
Source:[173] |
* Season still in progress.
Indianapolis 500
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Dallara | Honda | 5 | 24 | McLaren-Honda-Andretti |
2019 | Dallara | Chevrolet | DNQ | McLaren Racing | |
2020 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 26 | 21 | Arrow McLaren SP |
Source:[173] |
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap; small number indicates the finishing position)
Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | United Autosports | P | Ligier JS P217 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 13 |
SEB | LBH | MDO | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | LGA | PET | 58th | 18 |
2019 | Konica Minolta Cadillac | DPi | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | DAY 1 |
SEB | LBH | MDO | DET | WGL | MOS | ELK | LGA | PET | 27th | 35 |
24 Hours of Daytona
Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | United Autosports | Philip Hanson Lando Norris |
Ligier JS P217-Gibson | P | 718 | 38th | 13th |
2019 | Konica Minolta Cadillac | Kamui Kobayashi Jordan Taylor Renger van der Zande |
Cadillac DPi-V.R | DPi | 593 | 1st | 1st |
Source:[175] |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap; small number indicates the finishing position)
Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–19 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | LMP1 | Toyota TS050 Hybrid | Toyota 2.4 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) | SPA 1 |
LMS 1 |
SIL DSQ |
FUJ 2 |
SHA 2 |
SEB 1 |
SPA 1 |
LMS 1 |
1st | 198 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Sébastien Buemi Kazuki Nakajima |
Toyota TS050 Hybrid | LMP1 | 388 | 1st | 1st |
2019 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Sébastien Buemi Kazuki Nakajima |
Toyota TS050 Hybrid | LMP1 | 385 | 1st | 1st |
Source:[175] |
Notes and references
Notes
- Gião filed an appeal under the belief Alonso had passed him under yellow flag conditions. The appeal was rejected because Gião had filed it through his manager and not his team; officials subsequently confirmed Alonso's championship win.[25]
- Sebastian Vettel is the current holder of the youngest Formula One pole position starter and youngest one and two-time world champion.[34]
- McLaren offered to purchase the Arrow Schmidt Peterson car of Oriol Servià to allow Alonso to enter the race and meet sponsorship obligations since the two teams were in a partnership. Alonso was against replacing a driver who had qualified and McLaren opted against doing so.[105]
- The leaked Paradise Papers stated Alonso's manager Luis García Abad founded and constituted the Revolution Holdings Limited for the team on the Mediterranean island of Malta. Documents released to the Spanish media revealed the Directorate-General for the Treasury knew about its existence and accounts.[146]
References
- "Fernando Alonso to make sensational return to F1 with Renault in 2021". formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 8 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- Donaldson, Gerald. "Fernando Alonso – 2005, 2006". Formula One. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- Jenkins, Chris (15 June 2005). "Alonso charges to top of F1". USA Today. p. 01C. Retrieved 10 December 2019 – via Gale in Context: Biography.
- Urruty, Martín (26 September 2005). "De plebeyo a rey; Cómo llegó Alonso a ser el campeón más joven de la historia" [From commoner to king; How Alonso became the youngest champion ever] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. Archived from the original on 14 July 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso logra su sueño a los 24 años" [Fernando Alonso achieves his dream at 24]. Las Provincias (in Spanish). 25 September 2005. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- "Un chico reservado y buen estudiante" [A reserved boy and a good student]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 28 March 2003. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Ramos, Alberto (13 March 2007). "Curiosidades sobre Fernando Alonso, un piloto especial" [Curiosities about Fernando Alonso, a special pilot]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Álvarez, Raúl (24 November 2018). "Fernando Alonso, los años de Oviedo" [Fernando Alonso, the years of Oviedo]. La Voz de Asturias (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Lara, Ángela (28 September 2005). "Un chico de barrio" [A neighborhood boy]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). p. 38. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso y Raquel del Rosario se separan". La Verdad (in Spanish). EFE. 21 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- "La vida de Fernando Alonso fuera del "pit lane"" [The life of Fernando Alonso outside the "pit lane"]. ABC (in Spanish). 16 August 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- "Face to face with Fernando". Scuderia Ferrari. 6 May 2012. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- Canseco, Marco; Sanz, Miguel (23 March 2012). "'Samurái' Alonso" [Samurai Alonso]. Marca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- "Fernando Alonso". Motor Sport. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso: 'Menos mal que el Celta no me fichó'" [Fernando Alonso: 'Luckily, Celta didn't sign me up']. Atlántico Diario (in Spanish). 15 February 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- Benson, Andrew (21 October 2016). "Fernando Alonso: McLaren-Honda driver still Formula 1's gold standard". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso: why I race". McLaren. 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 26 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Ubha, Ravi; Wyatt, Ben (2 April 2014). "Fernando Alonso: The family ties that bind Ferrari's F1 star". CNN. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- "José Luis Alonso, los sacrificios de un padre entregado a la causa" [José Luis Alonso, the sacrifices of a father dedicated to the cause]. Sport (in Spanish). 16 October 2007. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- "A fondo Un talento muy precoz" [Thoroughly A very early talent]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 2006. Archived from the original on 8 November 2006.
"A Fondo Su vida en fechas" [Thoroughly Your Life on Dates]. El Mundo. 2006. Archived from the original on 9 November 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2019. - "Fernando Alonso". Commission Internationale de Karting. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- "Atlas F1 News Service: Biography Fernando Alonso (ESP)". Atlas F1. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- "Fernando: The rising star". McLaren. 13 January 2015. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- "Genís Marcó, el valedor de Alonso en el karting y su segunda familia" [Genís Marcó, Alonso's supporter in karting and his second family]. Sport. 17 October 2007. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- "Alonso title confirmed". Autosport. 27 November 1999. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- Arron, Simon (5 February 2018). "Silverstone 2000: Meeting Fernando Alonso". Motor Sport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- Sanz, Miguel (4 March 2009). "Alonso y Minardi, 10 años de una gran historia" [Alonso and Minardi, 10 years of a great story]. Marca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- Cooper, Adam (21 March 2011). "Fernando Alonso and the class of 2001". Autosport. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- "Alonso's hopes for Renault race drive". Formula1.com. 24 June 2002. Archived from the original on 28 June 2002. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- "Alonso appointed as Renault F1 test driver 2002". F1Racing.net. 2 November 2001. Archived from the original on 11 November 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
- Williams, Richard (1 May 2005). "Interview with Fernando Alonso". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso Biography". RaceFans. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
- "Alonso impresses in Jaguar test". BBC Sport. 30 May 2002. Archived from the original on 30 April 2004. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- "The youth of today". Motor Sport. 92 (7): 40–41. July 2016. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- "Renault name unchanged line-up". BBC Sport. 20 August 2003. Archived from the original on 22 August 2003. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- "2005: A first for Fernando". ESPN. 1 January 2005. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- Moffitt, Alastair (20 December 2005). "Alonso to make shock switch from Renault to McLaren". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- Roebuck, Dan (10 March 2006). "Renault reliability gives champion edge". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- Allen, James (20 October 2006). "To Alonso, the title – to Schumacher, the legend". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- Garside, Kevin (11 October 2006). "Alonso to play safe in Brazil". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- Baldwin, Alan (7 December 2006). "How Alonso switched to McLaren?". Rediff.com. Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- Benson, Andrew (19 November 2018). "Fernando Alonso: Lewis Hamilton, Ron Dennis & where it started to go wrong at McLaren in 2007". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- Noble, Jonathan (15 December 2006). "More security, no stickers for Alonso debut". Autosport. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.Noble, Jonathan (18 December 2006). "Alonso still under contract with Renault". Autosport. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- Spurgeon, Brad (15 December 2006). "Champions All Around". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- Harden, Oliver (17 December 2014). "Fernando Alonso and McLaren: Where It Went Wrong in 2007". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- "Formula One title permutations". Reuters. 18 October 2007. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- "17 surprising Fernando Alonso facts – one for each of his F1 seasons". Formula One. 1 December 2018. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- Benson, Andrew (19 November 2018). "Fernando Alonso: Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, 'spy-gate' & threats & demands to Ron Dennis". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- Rodríguez, Jaime (2 November 2007). "Alonso: 'En McLaren, nunca me sentí en casa'" [Alonso: 'At McLaren, I never felt at home']. El Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- "Alonso: Why I quit McLaren". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- González, Elvira (30 October 2013). "Cuando Alonso pudo sur Vettel: A finales de Vettel, tras dejar McLaren, el asturiano tenia a Red Bull como primera opción" [When Alonso could replace Vettel: At the end of Vettel, after leaving McLaren, the Spaniard had Red Bull as the first option]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). p. 26. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- "Alonso dreams of a perfect season". RTÉ Sport. 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- "Alonso opts for return to Renault". BBC Sport. 10 December 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- Cary, Tom (23 March 2009). "Fernando Alonso: F1 2009 driver profile". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- Allievi, Pino (27 December 2008). "Top 10 Gazzetta E' Alonso il numero 1" [Top 10 Gazzetta Alonso is number 1]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- Noble, Jonathan (4 July 2008). "Alonso to decide future after summer". Autosport. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- Henry, Alan (4 August 2008). "Alonso set for Honda move as staging post to long-term Ferrari future". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- English, Steven (5 November 2008). "Renault retain Alonso and Piquet for '09". Autosport. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- Tremayne, David (25 July 2009). "Fernando Alonso: 'With all the fights, this may be F1's worst year ever'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- "Drivers: Fernando Alonso". GrandPrix.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- Caygill, Graham (28 July 2009). "Renault to fight race ban". The National. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- Knutson, Dan (11 November 2009). "Forza Fernando!". Auto Action (1365): 24–26. ISSN 1320-2073.
- Allen, James (1 October 2009). "Raikkonen and Domenicali differ on reasons why he was dropped". James Allen on F1. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- Holt, Sarah (23 September 2010). "Fernando Alonso is main threat – Lewis Hamilton". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- Weaver, Paul (15 November 2010). "Ferrari heads could roll after pits error denies Fernando Alonso title". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- Cooper, Adam (February 2012). "Putting it all on red: has Fernando Alonso taken a reckless gamble by committing to Ferrari through 2017? Or is the Prancing Horse finally ready to fight the Red Bulls?". Racer: 36–38. Retrieved 19 December 2019 – via Gale In Context: Biography.
- Collantine, Keith (16 December 2011). "2011 F1 driver rankings no.2: Fernando Alonso". RaceFans. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- "Alonso staying with Ferrari until 2016". CNN. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- Spurgeon, Brad (23 November 2012). "The Crown Awaits: Vettel or Alonso?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- Benson, Andrew (13 November 2012). "Would Vettel or Alonso be more deserving champion?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- Salisbury, Matt (27 November 2012). "How Vettel beat Alonso to the 2012 title" (page 1 & page 2). Crash. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- Straw, Edd (12 December 2013). "Alonso and Ferrari's season of discontent" (PDF). Autosport. 214 (11): 52–54. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- Estrada, Chris (2 December 2013). "Ecclestone: Fernando Alonso "gave up a little bit" in 2013". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- Benson, Andrew (19 November 2018). "Fernando Alonso: The Ferrari years and the championships that got away". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- Gill, Pete (1 May 2015). "Fernando Alonso signed three-year McLaren deal, reveals Ron Dennis". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- "McLaren driver Fernando Alonso to miss Formula One's season-opening Australian GP". The National. Agence France-Presse. 3 March 2015. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Finnerty, Joe (18 March 2016). "McLaren-Honda bidding to launch revival at Australian Grand Prix". Surrey Live. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.Benson, Andrew (18 March 2015). "McLaren: could one of F1's top teams struggle for years?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Douglas, Steve (8 June 2015). "'Amateur' outburst exposes Alonso's frustration at McLaren". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Saunders, Nate (27 September 2015). "Fernando Alonso fumes at Honda's 'GP2 engine' at Suzuka". ESPN. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Baldwin, Alan (28 November 2015). Palmer, Justin (ed.). "Alonso could take a sabbatical in 2016, says Dennis". Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Barretto, Lawrence (4 December 2015). "Fernando Alonso committed to racing for McLaren in F1 in 2016". Autosport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Johnson, Daniel (31 March 2016). "Doctors order Fernando Alonso to miss Bahrain Grand Prix". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Barretto, Lawrence (13 December 2016). "Fernando Alonso tells McLaren staff he's staying in 2017". Autosport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Smith, Luke (13 January 2017). "McLaren planning to open Alonso F1 contract talks 'a few races into the year'". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- Elizade, Pablo (19 October 2017). "Alonso says new McLaren deal is "long-term"". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- "Alonso will not race in Formula 1 in 2019". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- Collantine, Keith (17 December 2018). "2018 F1 driver rankings #4: Alonso". RaceFans. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- Straw, Edd (23 August 2018). "Why Alonso is leaving Formula 1". Autosport: 16–22. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- "Alonso to make F1 return in post-race Bahrain test". Formula One. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- Larkham, Lewis (23 June 2019). "McLaren has no more F1 runs planned for Alonso". Crash. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- Noble, Jonathan (20 January 2020). "Alonso no longer a McLaren ambassador". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- Balseiro, Jesús (7 July 2020). "Alonso está de vuelta" [Alonso is back]. AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- "Alonso says 'it's like a new beginning' as he gets first taste of 2020 Renault in Barcelona test". Formula1.com. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- https://twitter.com/RenaultF1Team/status/1324003563870294016
- "Renault F1 Team". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- https://www.racefans.net/2020/12/15/alonso-leads-mercedes-in-abu-dhabi-young-drivers-test/
- Mancebo, Adrián (25 January 2018). "El día que Alonso debutó en resistencia: 24 Horas Barcelona 1999" [El día que Alonso debutó en resistencia: 24 Horas Barcelona 1999]. Auto Bild (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- Hust, Fabian (12 December 2001). "Fernando Alonso auch im Gelände spitze" [Fernando Alonso also top in the field] (in German). motorsport-total.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- "USA Wins The Nations Cup". Gordon Online. 30 November 2002. Archived from the original on 16 February 2003. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- Pockrass, Bob (28 January 2018). "Fernando Alonso's Daytona 24 Hours scuppered by brake issues". ESPN. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- Tunnicliffe, David (17 June 2019). "Alonso, Buemi & Nakajima wrap up World Championship". WEC Magazin. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- Klein, Jamie (27 January 2019). "Rolex 24: WTR wins shortened race as Alonso beats Nasr". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- Martin, Bruce (3 June 2017). "Excellent adventure: Fernando Alonso's road to the Indy 500". Autoweek. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- "Alonso named Indy 500 Rookie of the Year". AS. 30 May 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- Fryer, Jenna (20 May 2019). "Alonso Rejects McLaren Offer to Buy Him Indy 500 Seat". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- Saunders, Nate (23 May 2019). "McLaren explains comedy of errors that led to Fernando Alonso's Indy 500 nightmare". ESPN. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- Martin, Bruce (25 February 2020). "Why it's important for Fernando Alonso to be in the Indianapolis 500". NBC Sports. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- Keiloh, Graham (20 August 2019). "Fernando Alonso prepares for Dakar Rally with five-month test programme". Motor Sport. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- Lillo, Sergio; Khorounzhiy, Valentin (20 August 2019). "Alonso begins Dakar 2020 preparations with Toyota". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- Smith, Luke (17 January 2020). "Alonso expecting Dakar Rally return in the future". Crash. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
-
- "F1 media sees Alonso as best driver on current grid". f1i.com. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- "Researchers Say Juan Manuel Fangio Was the Greatest F1 Driver of All Time". roadandtrack.com. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- "Fernando Alonso: McLaren-Honda driver still Formula 1's gold standard". 21 October 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
- "Formula 1's greatest drivers. Number 10: Fernando Alonso". 25 July 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
- "Hamilton: Alonso is one of the best drivers F1 has ever seen". grandprix247.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- "Best Formula One Drivers of All Time – Top Ten List". thetoptens.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- MARCA.com. "More Sports: Hamilton: "Alonso is one of the best drivers F1 has ever seen" – MARCA.com (English version)". marca.com. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- "Fernando Alonso was Formula 1's best driver in 2014". givemesport.com. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- Benson, Andrew (19 November 2018). "Fernando Alonso: Comparisons with Lewis Hamilton & what makes Spaniard an all-time great". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- Benson, Andrew (September 2012). "Alonso: F1's fastest driver?" (PDF). F1 Racing (199): 46–53. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Galloway, James (24 November 2018). "Fernando Alonso leaves F1: What has made him so good?". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- James, Neil (23 September 2014). "Why Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 Skills Shine so Clearly at the Singapore GP". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- Noble, Jonathan (9 September 2015). "The real differences: Hamilton vs Senna vs Schumacher vs Alonso". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- "Alonso switches helmet design and supplier - F1technical.net". f1technical.net. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- "Alonso changes the design and the brand of your helmet: Schuberth to Arai – Most Reliable Car Brands". www.mostreliablecarbrands.com. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- "Alonso rings the Bell with new head protection". f1i.com. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- "Fernando Alonso: Me and My Lid". F1 Racing (261): 114. November 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019 – via PressReader.
- "Alonso unveils 'new' helmet design". Crash. 16 January 2008. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- "El oro solidario de Alonso" [Alonso's solidarity gold] (in Spanish). LaSexta. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 May 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso reveals his new helmet ahead of the Monaco GP". AS. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
Collantine, Keith (23 May 2013). "Drivers change helmet designs for Monaco weekend". RaceFans. Retrieved 26 December 2019. - "New helmet design for Fernando Alonso". GPUpdate. 23 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- Smith, Luke (20 November 2014). "Alonso changes helmet, Williams alters livery, other minor changes for Abu Dhabi GP". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- Bradley, Charles (3 January 2018). "Alonso reveals special Daytona 24 Hours helmet design". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- Saunders, Nate (13 October 2017). "Fernando Alonso to wear Indy 500 helmet at U.S. Grand Prix". ESPN. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- Wood, Ryan (21 February 2018). "Fernando Alonso unveils 2018 Formula 1 helmet design". Motorsport Week. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- Mitchell, Scott (22 November 2018). "Alonso reveals new helmet design for final F1 race". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- Elizade, Pablo (20 December 2013). "Fernando Alonso requests 14 as his Formula 1 car number". Autosport. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- Saunders, Nate (5 November 2018). "The art of deciphering Alonsospeak". ESPN. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- Roebuck, Nigel (December 2010). "A fighter with a Lion's heart". Motor Sport. 86 (12). Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Eason, Kevin (4 March 2006). "Diamonds aren't for ever; The Champion". The Times. p. 10. Retrieved 11 December 2019 – via Gale Academic OneFile.
- Vanetti, Flavio (1 May 2010). "Stupore Alonso: "Non immaginavo che la Ferrari fosse così emozionante"" [Stupore Alonso: "I didn't imagine that Ferrari as so exciting"]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Anderson, Ben (20 August 2015). "The Real Fernando Alonso – Understanding F1's Most Enigmatic Driver" (PDF). Autosport. 221 (8): 10–23. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- Baldwin, Alan (14 April 2005). "Alonso measures up to Schumacher". The Times of Malta. Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- Puigemont, Oriol (21 August 2015). "How much do Spaniards like Fernando Alonso?". El País. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Straw, Edd (May 2017). "The F1 Competitors". Formula1 in 2017: Global fan insight into the world's largest annual sporting series (2005–2017) (PDF). Motorsport Stats. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso inaugura un circuito y un museo con su nombre en Llanera" [Fernando Alonso inaugurates a circuit and a museum with his name in Llanera]. El País (in Spanish). 26 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- Long, Michael (24 May 2011). "The world's 24th most marketable athlete – Fernando Alonso". SportsPro. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso refuerza su compromiso por la seguridad vial" [Fernando Alonso reinforces its commitment to road safety]. La Voz de Asturias (in Spanish). 24 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "ING launches global TV advertising campaign featuring Fernando Alonso" (Press release). ING. 12 March 2008. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "F1 Star Fernando Alonso Returns For Chandon's New Video With McLaren-Honda F1 Team". B&T Magazine. 26 March 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso Announces Sponsorship Deal With Adidas Motorsport". SportsBusiness Daily. 14 May 2017. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Idrees, Farah (1 June 2017). "On The Scene: KIMOA Celebrates Its U.S. Launch". The Knock Turnal. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Pascual, Alfredo (8 November 2017). "Fernando Alonso's unborn cycling team had its operations base in Malta". El Confidencial. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "The World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes: #19 Fernando Alonso". Forbes. 2012. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
"The World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes: #19 Fernando Alonso". Forbes. 2013. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
"The World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes 2014: #21 Fernando Alonso". Forbes. 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
"The World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes 2015: #17 Fernando Alonso". Forbes. 2015. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
"The World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes 2016: 24. Fernando Alonso". Forbes. 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
"The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2017: 20. Fernando Alonso". Forbes. 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
Badenhausen, Kurt (13 June 2018). "Full List: The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2018". Forbes. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019. - "The Top-Earning Drivers In Motorsports: #1 Fernando Alonso". Forbes. 2013. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Top-Earning International Stars 2016: 30. Fernando Alonso ($36.5 million)". Forbes. 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Highest Paid International Celebrities of 2017: 27. Fernando Alonso ($36 million), tie". Forbes. 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Highest-Paid European Celebrities 2017: 17. Fernando Alonso ($36 million)". Forbes. 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "The Celebrity 100: #43 Fernando Alonso". Forbes. 11 June 2008. Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
"Celebrity 100: The World's Highest-Paid Entertainers 2017: 77. Fernando Alonso ($36 million), tie". Forbes. 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2019. - "Watch this story by Fernando Alonso on Instagram before it disappears". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- "Fernando Alonso x Bang & Olufsen". www.bang-olufsen.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- Baldwin, Alan (23 November 2017). Robinson, Neil (ed.). "Motor racing – Alonso launches his own eSport team". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Ashton, Graham (13 March 2019). "Fernando Alonso Continues Racing Sim Team With Logitech G". The Esports Observer. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Larkham, Lewis (2 February 2019). "Fernando Alonso's FA Racing team makes Formula Renault track debut". Crash. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- Field, Matthew (16 March 2019). "Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso invests in e-sports racing venture". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
Impey, Steven (19 March 2019). "Fernando Alonso invests in new esports racing platform". SportsPro. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019. - "Alonso Named UNICEF Ambassador". Atlas F1. 15 February 2005. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Alonso appeals for a polio-free India". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "In India, Formula 1 star and UNICEF Ambassador Fernando Alonso says hand-washing is a simple solution to saving millions of children's lives". UNICEF. 5 November 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- Bolea, Víctor (11 December 2017). "Alonso apoya a Unicef contra el ciberacoso infantil" [Alonso supports UNICEF against child cyberbullying] (in Spanish). SoyMotor. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Gregor Grant: Alonso". Autosport. 7 December 2003. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- "Otro más para la estantería" [Another one for the bookshelf]. ESPN. EFE. 29 September 2004. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso and Flavio Briatore were recipients of awards at last night's Lorenzo Bandini Trophy ceremony in Brisighella" (Press release). Renault. 21 April 2005. Archived from the original on 15 January 2006. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- Larraz, Teresa (22 October 2005). "Alonso gets Spain's top sporting award". Rediff. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
"Fernando Alonso y Gemma Mengual, premios nacionales del deporte 2005" [Fernando Alonso and Gemma Mengual, national sport awards 2005]. El Mundo (in Spanish). EFE. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
"Raúl recibe la Medalla de Oro al Mérito Deportivo" [Raúl receives the Gold Medal for Sports Merit]. 20minutos (in Spanish). EFE. 25 May 2006. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019. - Freeman, Glenn (3 December 2006). "Int. Racing Driver: Fernando Alonso". Autosport. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- Rubio, Javier (5 December 2017). "Alonso, en el 'Hall of Fame' de la FIA: "¡Tengo dos años para que me inviten otra vez!"" [Alonso, In the Hall of Fame of the FIA: "I have two years to be invited again!"]. El Confidencial. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- Sánchez de Castro, David (4 December 2019). "Fernando Alonso, doble leyenda de la FIA ante un 2020 histórico" [Fernando Alonso, double legend of the FIA before a historic 2020]. 20minutos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Classification Drivers". Euro Series by Nissan. Archived from the original on 24 January 2001. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso: 2000 F3000 International Championship Stats". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso". Motorsport Stats. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
"Fernando Alonso: Involvement". Stats F1. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019. - "Fernando Alonso". Champ Car Stats. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso: IMSA SportsCar Championship Career History". Motorsport Stats. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Complete Archive of Fernando Alonso". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Fernando Alonso: World Endurance Championship Career History". Motorsport Stats. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
Further reading
- Actis, Raquel (2003). Fernando Alonso: El Principe de la Formula 1 (in Spanish). Nuevas Ediciones del Motor. ISBN 978-84-607-9784-5.
- Seara, Victor (2004). Fernando Alonso: Una Estrella en El Mundo de la Formula 1 (in Spanish). La Esfera de los Libros. ISBN 978-84-9734-182-0.
- Actis, Raquel; Luis Criado (2005). Fernando Alonso: La Lucha por la Superacion (in Spanish). Cultural. ISBN 978-84-609-7818-3.
- Viaplana, Josep (2005). El nuevo rey-Campeón Fernando Alonso (in Spanish). Ediciones B. ISBN 978-84-666-1798-7.
- Brian, Rodrigo Castillo; del Arco de Izco, Javier; Lobato, Antonio (2005). Los 100 Mejores Pilotos de Fórmula 1: De Nino Farina a Fernando Alonso, 1950–2005 (in Spanish). Cahoba Promociones y Ediciones. ISBN 978-84-9832-056-5.
- Camus, Martine (2006). Fernando Alonso: Le Sacre de la Jeunesse (in French). Chronosports. ISBN 978-2-84707-108-5.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fernando Alonso. |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Fernando Alonso |