Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso is preparing to take part in the 22nd season of his Formula 1 career.
Fernando Alonso holds the record for the most Grand Prix starts in F1 history and is showing no signs of slowing down despite surpassing the 400-race mark last year.
After spells with Minardi (now Racing Bulls), Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and Alpine, Alonso has found a home on the grid with Aston Martin.
It’s incredible to think that Alonso made his debut with Minardi in 2001 when he had one of the most impressive point-less seasons in the history of the sport.
He took a year out in 2002 as he waited for a race seat to open up at Renault and just a few years later, he had won back-to-back drivers’ championships and ended Michael Schumacher’s domination of Formula 1 with Flavio Briatore’s team.
A move to McLaren in 2007 started a trend of Alonso choosing to join the right team at the wrong time and despite tallying up 32 Grand Prix wins and more than 100 podium finishes, he narrowly missed out on winning a third title on several occasions.
Alonso fell out with Lewis Hamilton that season, seeing him immediately return to Renault before a spell at Ferrari.
The 43-year-old’s second spell at McLaren between 2015-18 was the last straw and after four years of mediocrity, he walked away from the sport to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship, 24 Hours of Le Mans and IndyCar.
However, in 2021 he returned with Alpine and speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Sky Sports F1 broadcaster Natalie Pinkham shared the change she immediately noticed in the Spaniard.
How Fernando Alonso changed after returning to Formula 1 in 2021
Pinkham was recalling the time she accidentally swore at Alonso early in her broadcasting career and when asked what he’s like in the paddock now, she said: “He’s fantastic.
“Actually, when he went away and then came back to the sport, he actually said to me and a number of my colleagues, you know what? I do understand now kind of what you’re doing.
“Because the last thing that we ever want to do is shove a microphone under someone’s nose and stress them out.
“But he had a sort of greater appreciation of the bigger picture once he left and then returned.
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”He was a different person actually when he came back, he was much more relaxed and yeah, he’s just incredible.
“Like, long may he stay in our sport. I know that there’s an argument to keep bringing in rookies and, we’ve got six this year, that’s fantastic, and it keeps the grid moving and it keeps the energy up and keeps the competitive juices flowing.
“But I do think there’s a lot to be said for having the King of Spain on the grid as well.”
Fernando Alonso hoping his F1 curse hasn’t struck once again at Aston Martin
Alonso hasn’t won a Formula 1 race in more than a decade and when he decided at the end of 2022 to swap Alpine for Aston Martin, he would have seen the obvious potential within the team.
Lawrence Stroll has spent millions on improving the team, building a new factory and wind tunnel and signing Adrian Newey from Red Bull.
However, after securing eight podiums in 2023, Aston Martin have gone backwards since then and Andy Cowell has been installed as team principal to try and lead them forward.
READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage
The 2026 season when Newey would have had a real influence on the car and Honda would have arrived as their power unit supplier could finally be Alonso’s chance to return to the top step of the podium.
If he doesn’t during that first campaign of the new regulations, then he may decide it’s finally time to walk away as he will be 45 by the time that season ends.
If Alonso’s newfound respect for the media grows even more in that time as Pinkham alluded to, he may even end up on the other side of the microphone and would be one of Formula 1’s most knowledgeable pundits.
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