Fernando Alonso has spoken about the past and present of the world of F1. The Asturian driver made his debut in 2001 and has been part of the F1 grid for 20 years. He is close to turning 44, and his retirement is drawing nearer, but he still has dreams to fulfill.
Fernando Alonso’s debut
Back in 2001, a young Spanish driver made his debut in the world of F1. He wasn’t the first; at that time, we already had two Spanish drivers in the big circus, Marc Gené and Pedro Martínez de la Rosa, two drivers who still have a great influence in the world of F1 today. But back to Fernando Alonso. As we said, he was a shy, reserved driver, a man of few words, which made him seem blunt, but nothing could be further from the truth. All we knew about him was what was said in closed motor racing circles, that he was very good.
Strange as it may seem, he remembers little about his first race, as he was focused on it being just the beginning of his career, but Minardi’s situation did not inspire optimism.
“I don’t remember, to be honest.” ”I mean, it wasn’t as clear as it is now. I made my debut with Minardi, but the team wasn’t 100% sure I would make it to Australia for the first race. We didn’t do any preseason testing. There were no simulators. It wasn’t as easy as it is today.”
When he found out he would be making his debut, the first person he told was his mother. “The first person I told was my mother.” That first race “wasn’t a relief. It was just the first day of a race. A happy day, yes, but only the beginning of the journey.”
Consecration in F1
But yes, Fernando Alonso was in the spotlight of influential people in F1, and after two years of hard work, he received confirmation that he could make a career in a discipline where everyone is an obstacle.
“I felt it was real maybe after two seasons. The first year it was happening, but the team had financial problems even to go to the races. In the second year, I was a test driver. It wasn’t until 2003, with Renault, that I had that feeling of really being in F1.”
In this regard, he points to two people as responsible for the fact that, today, he is recognized as one of the best drivers in history, despite not having a huge track record. “Three people were key: above all, Flavio Briatore and Giancarlo Minardi, who gave me the opportunity.”
From then until now, Fernando Alonso’s story is known to all: two world championships, 32 victories in F1, and team changes marked by bad decisions and bad luck that have deprived him of more world titles that he surely deserved.
Retirement of Fernando Alonso
Twenty-four years after making his F1 debut, Fernando Alonso is facing the final stretch of his career. Few would have predicted that at 43 (and counting), he would still be driving in F1. His end is approaching, it’s true, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be anytime soon, and that’s how the driver himself sees it.
“I love karting, I’ve been doing it for many years. It keeps me fresh, motivated, happy… so why stop?”
Fernando Alonso still dreams of becoming world champion again and knows that next year he may have another chance. Aston Martin is working hard to make this happen. With the help of Lawrence Stroll, who has invested millions of euros in the project, Aston Martin aims to become a leading team starting next year. The resources are there, the technology is state-of-the-art, and all that’s missing is for the human factor to come together to get the most out of the car on the track. That will happen, and in the words of Fernando Alonso, he wants to be the protagonist when it does.