Fernando Alonso burst onto the F1 scene in 2001 with Minardi, and was quickly taken by the then Flavio Briatore-led Renault (now Alpine) side as a test driver a year later. Alonso grew from strength to strength during Michael Schumacher’s dominant title run by winning two consecutive championships in 2005 and 2006.
But as the Oviedo-born driver transitioned into the peak of his career, he suddenly fell out of favor with the racing gods. Alonso has not won a third world title yet and his last Grand Prix win came all the way back at the 2013 Spanish GP.
According to Aston Martin’s new Managing Technical Partner and 25-time world champion, Adrian Newey, Alonso’s title tally doesn’t do justice to his racing prowess.
“I have enormous respect for him. The fact that he has only won two world championships, on paper, does not reflect his ability at all,” he told Michael Schmidt.
Adrian Newey is a big fan of Fernando Alonso pic.twitter.com/CtrbbpHauE
— Autosport (@autosport) January 27, 2025
Newey, who is set to join the Silverstone-based team later this year, has hit the nail on the head when it comes to gauging Alonso’s caliber. After his two successive championship triumphs, the #14 driver was plagued by bad luck and bad decisions.
Alonso moved to McLaren in 2007, but quickly returned to Renault in 2008 after a bitter rivalry had unfolded with rookie sensation, Lewis Hamilton. A move to Ferrari came in 2010 and the Spanish racing ace missed out on the title by a whisker that season as well as in 2012 to Sebastian Vettel.
And as Vettel transitioned to Ferrari in 2015, Alonso sought glory back at McLaren. However, the Woking team’s ill-fated partnership with Honda at the turn of the turbo-hybrid era meant he languished in the bottom pack of the grid till his initial retirement at the end of the 2018 season.
Alonso is ready to go all-in with last title push in an Aston Martin
Alonso returned to the sport in 2021 with Alpine but left the team for Aston Martin at the end of the 2022 season. Now, with the Lawrence Stroll-led team having onboarded Newey, a works Honda engine deal for 2026, and a bespoke wind tunnel, the Spaniard can smell title success in the air.
That said, by his own admission, the 2026 season will probably be his last season in the sport. But that only amplifies his desire to win that elusive third world championship. And he is willing to go all-in to make that happen in 2026.
“Expectations will be high because it is a new car, change of regulations, car made by Adrian. My contract finishes at the end of 2026. It is the time of delivering and the time of truth. High expectations,” he told the BBC last year.
Alonso understands that Newey won’t suddenly overturn Aston Martin’s form this season. Still, he knows that the Briton can weave his magic to give him that final shot at the coveted championship trophy at the turn of the new regulations in 2026.
