“I think I drove the best car, three times probably”– Fernando Alonso recalls times when he had the fastest F1 car

Fernando Alonso pointed three times when he had the fastest car in the whole Formula 1 grid while recalling the past days of his career.

Fernando Alonso, the two-time world champion, was a force to reckon with in his peak days. The Spaniard is well past his peak now at the age of 40 but still an effective driver, contributing immensely at Alpine.

However, in his best years, Alonso served for one of the top teams in F1 and won several races. In 2005 and 2006, he won two consecutive titles, even though he didn’t have the fastest car for the crucial part of the year.

He also revealed the times when he had the fastest car in the whole of the grid. He points out that there were only three instances, which could be traced back to the early years of his career.

“In F1, I think I drove the best car… three times probably,” he said on the Beyond the Grid podcast. “I will say the first half of 2005. And then Kimi [Raikkonen] and McLaren, they were faster, but they didn’t have the reliability.”

“I think in 2006, the first half of the championship, or the first six to seven races, I think we had the best car. Then Ferrari – and maybe Bridgestone, not only Ferrari – they came with a very fast package.”

Also read: Fernando Alonso points out key differences between all Ferrari and McLaren

Fernando Alonso got another fast car in 2007 but with professional misfortune

In 2007, Alonso signed for McLaren, and it was a powerhouse. He had to compete against the highly-rated rookie and now seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The showdown with him didn’t go well with Alonso, as he left the team in the following year. However, he thinks McLaren had the fastest car, but not entirely as Ferrari was head to head too.

“In 2007, I think it was quite even. It was up and down,” Alonso explained. “I don’t think that we had a clearly faster car. Some races, McLaren was faster, some races Ferrari.

“Those three years in Formula 1, we had a very good opportunity to win championships and we took two or three, so it’s OK!” he further said. That year Ferrari with Kimi Raikkonen won both championships.

The drivers’ championship was the spicier front. Raikkonen won the title by a point margin. In contrast, Hamilton and Alonso were level on points at second place.

Also read: Fernando Alonso opens up about his relationship with Kimi Raikkonen