Fernando Alonso is a two-time Formula 1 champion and one of the greatest drivers of all time, so here is everything you need to know about the current Aston Martin star.
The Spaniard broke into Formula 1 way back in the 2001 season driving for Minardi and has enjoyed spells with Renault (twice), McLaren (twice), Ferrari and Alpine. While Alonso holds F1’s records for the largest number of Grand Prix entries and starts, which he sealed in 2022.
Alonso overtook Kimi Raikkonen at the 2022 Singapore GP by making his 350th career start in Formula 1. It was also Raikkonen whom Alonso replaced to join Ferrari in 2010. But while the Scuderia took him to three runners-up finishes, Alonso did not win his third drivers’ title.
Fernando Alonso is a two-time F1 champion steeped in success
Renault took Alonso to his Formula 1 titles in 2005 and 2006, denying Michael Schumacher and ending Ferrari’s dominance. He pipped the seven-time champion by 21 points in 2005, then just seven in 2006. Alonso also became the first – and still only – Spanish F1 champion.
His successes in Formula 1 also helped to boost the series’ popularity in Spain, despite the Spanish GP first appearing on the schedule in 1951. Alonso was already familiar with titles before reaching the pinnacle of motorsport, too, having enjoyed a glittering junior career.
Alonso first started driving go-karts at the age of just three and began competing in 1991 in the Cadet class of the Spanish Championship. A first title then beckoned in the 1993 Junior class, which Alonso defended in 1994 and 1995. He never won any European or world title.
Fernando Alonso made his F1 debut with Minardi in 2001
A move to single-seaters in 1999 returned Alonso to the top of a championship, though, as he took the Euro Open by Nissan title. One year in International Formula 3000 in 2000 also preceded his arrival in Formula 1. Yet Alonso only spent a year with F1 backmarker, Minardi.
Finishing the 2001 F1 season just 23rd in the standings saw Alonso accept a reserve driver role at Renault to grow his talent and become accustomed in the team. But the move paid off as he earned a race seat in 2003 and Alonso won his first race at the Hungarian GP, too.
Alonso further secured his first pole position and podium in F1 at the 2003 Malaysian GP, where he finished third. Yet the Spaniard did not win another race before the 2005 term when he took seven and a first title. Alonso repeated his haul for a second crown in 2006.
Back-to-back titles with Renault would tempt McLaren to sign him to race alongside Lewis Hamilton as a rookie in 2007. But the move backfired as internal politics saw Alonso clash with the Briton and the team. He also blocked Hamilton in qualifying at the Hungarian GP.
Yet, despite the internal squabbling which saw Alonso leave McLaren after just one season, he returned to Woking in 2015 after five years with Ferrari. But an underperforming Honda power unit saw him lament a ‘GP2 engine’ over the team’s radio at that year’s Japanese GP.
Fernando Alonso is desperate to win motorsport’s Triple Crown
Alonso remained at McLaren through the 2018 season but briefly left F1 to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota. He would also win the 2018/19 WEC title with Toyota, along with overall honours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2018 and 2019.
His time with Toyota also saw Alonso contest the Dakar Rally in 2020, while returning to the Indy 500 with McLaren. The Spaniard is desperate to achieve motorsport’s Triple Crown by winning the Indy 500, having already secured top honours at the Monaco GP and Le Mans.
Alonso entered the Indy 500 driving for McLaren’s IndyCar Series squad in 2017, 2019 and 2020. But he returned to F1 after two campaigns away for Alpine in 2021. Yet his return to Enstone only lasted two years before leaving the Renault-owned F1 team for Aston Martin.
But who really is Alonso and what is the Aston Martin driver’s life outside of Formula 1 like? F1 Oversteer takes a look at everything you need to know about the Spanish racing legend…
How old is Fernando Alonso? What is the Aston Martin driver’s age?
At the time of writing, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso is 42 years old. He was born on July 29 back in 1981 to parents dad, Jose Luis Alonso, and mother, Ana Maria Diaz Martinez.
Alonso also has an elder sister, Lorena Diaz, who is a doctor and inherited his love for racing from his father. Jose Luis was an amateur kart racer and would help start Fernando’s career.
Where was Fernando Alonso born? What is his nationality?
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso was born in Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, located in north-west Spain. He also grew up in Oviedo, where Jose Luis Alonso initially constructed a go-kart for Lorena Diaz but Fernando showed a strong passion for racing from an early age.
How tall is Fernando Alonso? What is his height in feet?
Of the 20 drivers who will compete in Formula 1 during the 2024 season, Fernando Alonso is the third-smallest. He stands at a height of 1.71m, or 5 ft 7 in feet. Only McLaren pilot Lando Norris (1.70m, 5 ft 6) and also Yuki Tsunoda (1.59m, 5 ft 2) of Visa Cash App RB are smaller.
Fernando Alonso voiced a character in the Spanish release of Cars 2
Fernando Alonso has featured in a few films and TV shorts including Disney and Pixar’s 2011 release, Cars 2. The Spaniard voiced the character of his own name in the Spanish release of the movie instead of ‘Jeff Corvette’ (aka Nascar icon Jeff Gordon) but is only in two scenes.
Disney and Pixar replaced ‘Jeff Corvette’ with drivers from more localised regions, including Sebastian Vettel in Germany. But the character only appears at a World Grand Prix welcome party in Tokyo to meet Lightening McQueen and when it also features in Mater’s nightmare.
Alonso also made a cameo appearance in the 2018 TV short, Murder on the Anthill Express. He has also featured in the 2020 short, Hormigueddon, and in the 2023 short film, Blowout.
Fernando Alonso’s net worth
Fernando Alonso is one of the richest drivers on the 2024 Formula 1 grid with a net worth of $260m (£205m), per PlanetF1, as of January 2024. Only Lewis Hamilton eclipses his worth at $285m (£225m). Alonso has boosted his net worth with interests outside the F1 paddock.
The Aston Martin star opened his Fernando Alonso Sports Complex in the Llanera, Asturias region of Spain. It features the Museo y Circuit o Fernando Alonso, which contains a private collection of his racing cars, suits, trophies and helmets. There is also a track at the complex.
Additionally, Alonso founded his A14 Management company which oversees several racing drivers – including McLaren junior, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Red Bull gem, Pepe Marti. Alonso co-founded A14 in March 2022 with his manager Alberto Albilares plus Albert Resclosa Coll.
Who is Fernando Alonso’s girlfriend? Does he have a wife?
At the time of writing, Fernando Alonso does not have a wife and is only rumoured to have a girlfriend called Melissa Jimenez. The Lieja, Belgium native is a sports journalist for DAZN in Spain covering F1 and MotoGP. Jimenez has also worked for 25TV and Sky Italia in the past.
Alonso separated from his long-term girlfriend, Andrea Schlager, in April 2023 and was soon at the centre of several suggestions that he was dating Taylor Swift. The Spaniard even went along with it by fuelling rumours with TikTok videos captioned with references to her songs.
But while Swift confirmed a relationship with NFL icon Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs in September 2023, Alonso has often been linked with Jimenez. She was born on June 26 in 1987 and had three kids with former husband, Marc Bartra, who once played for Barcelona.
Fernando Alonso’s Formula 1 career stats
As of the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season, Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso has entered a record 378 Grand Prix. But Alonso last won a race by taking his home event at the Spanish GP in 2013 with Ferrari. He has also not secured a pole position since the 2012 German GP.
The post Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside of F1 from net worth to Cars 2 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
