Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula 1 driver currently racing for Aston Martin. A two-time world champion, master of racecraft, and walking textbook of “what could’ve been,” Alonso is one of the most talented drivers in F1 history — and maybe the most cursed. He’s fought legends, outperformed machines, made a few too many career moves, and somehow, at over 40, he’s still here. Still fast. Still fighting. Still Fernando.

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Quick Facts

Full Name	Fernando Alonso Díaz
Born	29 July 1981, Oviedo, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Current Team	Aston Martin (2023–present)
Former Teams	Minardi, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine
Car Number	14
World Titles	2 (2005, 2006)
Wins	32
Podiums	100+
F1 Debut	2001, Australian Grand Prix

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The Old Man from Oviedo

Alonso is not just one of the best on the grid — he’s one of the best ever. The kind of driver who could win in cars that had no business winning. The kind who can smell grip where others spin. Who makes tire life an artform and defensive driving look like witchcraft.

And yet, his career is an emotional rollercoaster of misjudged exits and “if onlys.”

He won two titles with Renault in the mid-2000s — beating peak Schumacher in a car that wasn’t dominant. But then came the great unraveling: the McLaren mess in 2007, the Ferrari heartbreaks from 2010 to 2013, the return to McLaren-Honda when it was a GP2 engine disaster, the brief exile, the endless false dawns.

They say Fernando picks the right teams at the wrong time. And they’re not wrong.

But what makes Alonso different is this: he doesn’t give up. Ever. Most drivers age out. Fernando came back from two years out of F1 and was immediately on pace. He dragged an Aston Martin onto podiums in 2023. He’s 40-something, still schooling drivers half his age, and still acting like the world owes him a third title — because maybe it does.

He’s sharp, sharp-tongued, and suspicious of everyone. He’ll praise you to your face and dismantle you on the out-lap. He’s brilliant, bitter, beloved, and bulletproof.

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Career Timeline: Genius and Misfire, Over and Over

• Early Days & F1 Debut (2001–2003)
  
  • Started karting at age 3.
    
  • Debuted with Minardi in 2001. Immediately marked as “next level.”
    
  • Became test/reserve driver for Renault in 2002.
    
• Back-to-Back Titles with Renault (2005–2006)
  
  • Won his first title in 2005 — youngest ever at the time.
    
  • Beat Ferrari and prime Schumacher.
    
  • Repeated in 2006. Pure brilliance, tire management, aggression, and mind games.
    
• McLaren Meltdown (2007)
  
  • Teamed up with rookie Lewis Hamilton. Imploded spectacularly.
    
  • Left after one season. Nuclear fallout.
    
• Ferrari Years (2010–2014)
  
  • Nearly won titles in 2010 and 2012 — both went down to the wire.
    
  • Outdrove the car nearly every weekend.
    
  • 2012 in particular: one of the best seasons ever by a driver who didn’t win the championship.
    
  • Left when Ferrari started betting on the long game.
    
• The McLaren-Honda Nightmare (2015–2018)
  
  • Rejoined McLaren. It was a disaster. Underpowered, unreliable.
    
  • The famous “GP2 engine” radio rant became legend.
    
  • Quit F1 after 2018. Everyone thought it was the end.
    
• Return of the King (2021– )
  
  • Came back with Alpine. Still had it.
    
  • Moved to Aston Martin in 2023 — podiums returned.
    
  • Despite age, still elite in qualifying, strategy, and wheel-to-wheel.
    
  • Now the oldest on the grid — and somehow still one of the most feared.
    

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Legend in Limbo

Alonso is the living embodiment of persistence. A talent too big to fade, a career too wild to explain cleanly, and a man too proud to stop. Some call him cynical. Some say he’s past it. But the stopwatch doesn’t lie — and Fernando is still right there, lurking, waiting.

Because the third title? It’s still in his head.

And if the stars ever align — even just once — Alonso will be ready. He always is.