Fernando Alonso made his Formula 1 debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix with the underdog Minardi team. He was just 19 years old, immediately standing out for his speed and composure in a car that had no business fighting near the front.
That single season as a rookie backmarker was enough to catch the eye of bigger teams. By 2003, he was already winning races with Renault. By 2005, he was F1’s youngest-ever world champion at the time — and the man who finally broke Michael Schumacher’s dominance.
