The Spanish Icon Fernando Alonso discusses how he is living a dream after rising through the ranks from karting and how grateful he is for his F1 career.
The man in third place, Alpine driver Fernando Alonso, garnered the most plaudits after the inaugural GP of Qatar on November 21, 2021, rather than winner Lewis Hamilton or second-placed Max Verstappen. The 98th podium finished in the premier class for the Spaniards and was the first since Hungary in 2014.
After the race, Formula 1 sporting director Ross Brawn said of Alonso: “His driving pleasure is obvious. I’ve always been a big fan of Fernando and I find it frustrating that such a hugely talented racer hasn’t won more than two titles. His fire for the sport burns brightly.”
Should have won five Championships
Many Formula 1 fans believe this, and Alonso must be remorseful that he did not make better selections about his racing teams. Alonso signed to McLaren after winning two world titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006.
However, in 2007, then-McLaren team manager Ron Dennis let new acquisition Fernando Alonso and young Lewis Hamilton battle it out until Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) won the Driver’s championship in Brazil.
There was only one point behind the world champion in 2007, only four issues were missing in 2010, only three in 2012 – just under ten points in these three seasons would have been enough to win three more titles.
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“When I moved to McLaren-Honda, everyone thought I had done the right thing.” – Fernando Alonso
When questioned about regretting not winning more than two titles, Fernando said: “Certainly, in some races, I just didn’t have any luck. And looking back, it’s always easy to say you should have done something differently.”
“When I joined Ferrari in 2010, any other Formula 1 driver would have signed there as well. When I moved to McLaren-Honda, everyone thought I had done the right thing.”
“Ferrari’s turbo engine was not so good, and Honda was able to prepare for the Formula 1 return in peace. Nine out of ten drivers would also have signed with McLaren-Honda.”
No Remorse, Gratitude towards win and podiums
“Ultimately, it’s like this: only one can win at a time, in a race, in the hunt for the world title. And whether you finish second or twelfth – what role does that play?
I was allowed to become world champion twice. I was able to win all these races and be on the podium so many times. Talent alone is often not enough in Formula 1.”
“Look at Nico Hülkenberg, who never finished on the podium; or Sebastian Vettel, who has been without a title since 2013. I was a boy from northern Spain who made it from kart boy to world champion. I really don’t know why I should regret something.”
Wins at Le Mans and return to F1 with Alpine
After his Formula 1 farewell at McLaren, Alonso realized the dream of Le Mans victory and also became World Endurance Champion with
Toyota. He won on the traditional US racetracks Sebring and Daytona.
At the beginning of 2021, he returned to Alpine’s premier class. Looking ahead to the 2022 season, the 32-time GP winner says: “This is going to be a big year with these rule changes, and of course, we hope that we can benefit from them and be more competitive.
It is difficult to predict what the balance of power will look like. We can only prepare for it as well as possible. We put a lot of work into the new car. Let’s see where we stand at the first test.”
