Twenty years ago, a young Spaniard named Fernando Alonso stood atop his blue and yellow Renault, fists pumping, a raw, triumphant shriek echoing across Interlagos. It was September 25, 2005, and at just 24 years old, Alonso had not only claimed his first Formula 1 world championship but had also decisively shattered the established order. The long-standing dominance of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari had met its match, ushering in a new era. That visceral scream, born of years of relentless pursuit and monumental pressure, remains etched in his memory more vividly than any trophy or celebration. It was, as he describes it, “20 years of my life concentrated in those 10 seconds of celebration.”
The Breakthrough: A Nation Transformed
Alonso`s path to Formula 1 was, in itself, a pioneering endeavor. Spain, traditionally a nation enthralled by two-wheeled motorsport, had yet to produce an F1 champion. His 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix victory marked the first F1 win by a Spaniard since the championship`s inception in 1950. This historical context amplified the significance of his 2005 triumph. He wasn`t just a world champion; he was the trailblazer, the one who proved that the uncharted route from Spain to the pinnacle of four-wheeled racing was not only navigable but conquerable.
The impact of this achievement reverberated far beyond the circuits. A generation of young Spanish racers found their hero. Carlos Sainz, now an accomplished F1 driver himself, openly credits Alonso with igniting his passion for the sport. Sainz recounts waking up daily, eager to watch Alonso race, dreaming of one day sharing the grid with his idol. The Spanish karting championships, once modestly attended, swelled with participants, all inspired by Fernando`s meteoric rise. Flavio Briatore, Alonso`s longtime manager and then-Renault team principal, accurately observed, «He changed it.» Briatore`s audacious decision to back Alonso over more established names like Jenson Button was emphatically vindicated, proving his foresight and the sheer magnitude of Alonso`s talent.
The «Perfect Circle»: Unparalleled Talent and Adaptability
Even two decades on, Alonso is widely regarded as one of the most complete drivers in motorsport history. Those who have worked with him speak of an innate ability that puts him on «another level.» Ayao Komatsu, current Haas team principal and former tire engineer who worked with both Alonso and Button, vividly recalls Alonso`s uncanny precision: «He knows how much is left on tires. So, he will drive it in a certain level, and then last three laps, he just goes bang, bang, bang, bang, and then exactly at the end of sector, the tire’s dead. It was just totally another level.» This mastery of car and tire dynamics, an almost intuitive understanding of performance limits, sets him apart.
Andrea Stella, McLaren`s team principal, who served as Alonso`s race engineer during his stints at Ferrari, offers a compelling comparison to Michael Schumacher. While Schumacher might have excelled exceptionally in certain areas («more like a star»), Alonso possessed a remarkable consistency across all facets of driving («more like a perfect circle»). This well-roundedness is the bedrock of his formidable reputation.
Beyond Formula 1: The Quest for the Triple Crown
Despite his undeniable talent, Alonso`s F1 career post-2006 has been marked by a perplexing scarcity of titles. This has often led to him being labeled the «unluckiest driver» of his generation, a tag he addresses philosophically, suggesting luck tends to balance out over a long career. Yet, his response to F1`s occasional frustrations was not resignation but a fervent expansion of his racing horizons. Broken by the lack of competitiveness during his McLaren-Honda years, Alonso embarked on a unique challenge: the Triple Crown of Motorsport.
He had already conquered the Monaco Grand Prix in F1, adding two victories at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018 and 2019. His pursuit of the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 saw him lead for 50 laps before an engine failure halted his charge. Not content with tarmac, he even tackled the brutally challenging Dakar Rally, finishing an impressive 13th in 2020. These ventures weren`t just side hustles; they were potent demonstrations of his unparalleled adaptability and an assertion of his talent across vastly different machinery and disciplines. As he quipped, «My self-confidence is extremely high, so I didn`t have that problem!»
The Enduring «Rottweiler» Spirit and the Road Ahead
At 44, and with a contract extending through his 45th birthday in 2026, Fernando Alonso`s relentless drive shows no signs of dimming. His return to F1 in 2021 was underpinned by «El Plan»—a mission to secure a third championship. His move to Aston Martin in 2023, coupled with the arrival of engineering titan Adrian Newey and upcoming regulation changes, fuels aspirations for a genuine title challenge in the near future. Briatore, who knows Alonso intimately, dismisses notions of him being «difficult to manage,» emphasizing his unwavering commitment: «He`s like a Rottweiler. He`s there all the time. You go in one place and the Rottweiler bites you all the time. That`s Fernando. That`s how he wants to win.»
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, a contemporary admirer, encapsulates the sentiment shared by many: «I admire him a lot, how he is as a person, as a racer… It shows he`s just passionate about racing. It doesn`t matter if it`s a Formula 1 car or not.» Verstappen wisely notes that while Alonso`s win tally might not fully reflect his talent, «it`s just that the car doesn`t let him.»
A Champion`s Legacy: «An All-Round Driver»
Whether Fernando Alonso adds to his 22 pole positions, 32 race wins, or two world championships remains an open question. Yet, his legacy is already firmly cemented. He believes the paddock will remember him as «an all-round driver… able to drive different cars with different competitiveness, always at the maximum. In different categories as well, different series in motorsport and try to be competitive in all of them. So that`s probably enough for me.»
His pragmatic outlook extends to how the wider world remembers sporting heroes. «For the outside world, I think I will be forgotten very fast. Like everyone else… people will just focus on the newer generation. It happens always.» This philosophical acceptance, coupled with his undeniable competitive fire, paints a portrait of a racer who has found peace in his extraordinary journey, even if a small part of him still yearns for one more F1 triumph. «But [that it`s been] over 20 years [since my championship] and maybe more than 10 years since I won my last F1 grand prix… it doesn`t sound right to me.» And perhaps, it doesn`t sound right to anyone who has witnessed the sheer brilliance of Fernando Alonso.
Torin Vale