Fernando Alonso is one of the all-time greats in Formula 1. Across the longest career in the sport’s history, he’s won 32 races and two world championships.
One of F1’s great mysteries, though, is how he hasn’t achieved more. It’s nearly 20 years since he clinched back-to-back titles with Renault (now Alpine).
Since then, there have been multiple near-misses. In 2007, he lost out to Kimi Raikkonen by just one point, and in 2010 and 2012 he took his battle with Sebastian Vettel to the final race of the season.
Alonso still believes he can claim that elusive third championship. That’s why he’s signed a new multi-year extension that will keep him racing for Aston Martin until he’s at least 45.
But perhaps a more realistic goal is ending a victory drought that stretches all the way back to the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. Alonso scored eight podiums last year after joining Aston Martin but Red Bull virtually monopolised the top step of the podium.
In the past, the Spaniard has been known to express his frustration publicly. Perhaps the biggest example came during the infamous McLaren-Honda years, when he lamented his ‘GP2 engine’ over the team radio.
Fernando Alonso showed he was a ‘team player’ at 2023 Mexican Grand Prix
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack explained how he’s kept Alonso on side in difficult moments. He feels that the veteran driver has appreciated his ‘transparent’ management style.
He recalls the team’s woes at last year’s Mexican GP, where they qualified 13th and 18th before suffering a double DNF. In the past, Alonso might have hit out at his team in such circumstances, but he remained a ‘team player’.
“One of my most important tasks is to keep the balls in the air so that all the personalities in the team harmonize with one another,” Krack said. “Fernando is a good example.
“My approach is pretty simple. I always deal openly, honestly and transparently with everyone. In order to create a good basis of trust, you always have to be honest with each other.
“If we just take the race in Mexico last year as an example. We gave Fernando a car that was probably the slowest in the field. It would have been easy for him to express his frustration publicly in the media. But we managed to keep him from tearing us apart. That shows what a team player he is.”
What Sergio Perez’s father has said about Fernando Alonso
Alonso hasn’t been able to finish on the podium yet this season, but he’s still earned universal praise for his level of performance. He’s scored 33 of Aston’s 42 points and sits above Hamilton in the championship.
His finest displays of the campaign to date came in Jeddah, where he qualified fourth and finished fifth, and China, where he was third-fastest in both qualifying sessions. He’s consistently proven that he’ll extract the maximum from his car.
Antonio Perez, the father of Red Bull driver Sergio, says he’s now seeing the ‘best’ version of Alonso in F1. And McLaren CEO Zak Brown admits he’d have him in the car ‘any day’.
Nico Rosberg spotted his manager Flavio Briatore holding extensive talks with Toto Wolff over the Mercedes seat before he re-signed with Aston. He may be pinning hopes on the 2026 regulation changes, which offer a chance to make a big step forward.
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