Stainless Fernando Alonso: the driver with the most races in the history of F1

Based on pursuing a dream, Fernando Alonso has become stainless in Formula 1. The third world title, which was within reach of a swerve in 2007, has propelled the Spanish driver to unimaginable numbers for someone who only wanted to debut and drive a elite car. On Sunday in Singapore, the Spaniard will become the driver with the most races in the history of this sport. There are 351 Sundays with Alonso in different phases of a sport that has grown in Spain from secrecy to paroxysm thanks to a non-conformist guy with a samurai spirit. A gladiator. From that beardless unknown that premiered in 2001, sponsored by Briatore, to the madness of the first victories and the two titles (2005 and 2006), to the diplomatic schism with Hamilton at McLaren, the return to Renault, the top signing for Ferrari and the decadence of recent times, without victories for the man from Oviedo since 2013. Four decades with Alonso, half a life of a sport that penetrated our homes and to which the protagonist dedicates one last breath, always from passion and with the third championship in The horizon. He is 41 years old, he is the oldest driver on the grid, and as of now, the owner of the grand prix record. A passenger of so many afternoons of adrenaline and wild outings, Alonso emulates Nelson Mandela in the celebrated ‘Invictus’ in an interview in ‘As’. “I am the master of my destiny,” proclaims the pilot. And the captain of his soul, directing an infinite and singular trajectory that is heading towards his sixth Formula 1 team in 2023, Aston Martin. What might appear to be a frenetic pace of changes desperately in search of the winning car is actually a paradox. Alonso is the driver with the most seasons in F1 (19, the same as Barrichello and Schumacher), but he ranks 111th among the drivers who changed teams the most times. There are contemporaries of his, like Button (7) or Hulkenberg (6), who have raced for more teams than him. Some time ago he had the ideal car in his hands, that blue French-made Renault with wheels of the same nationality of the Michelin brand with which in 2006 he achieved four consecutive victories at the beginning of the season. Alonso has always assured that this was the pinnacle of him in this sport, the moment in which the hands of the champion and the best racing car of all the competitors came together. Related News standard Yes Formula 1 Alpine, on the way to the courts of justice José Carlos Carabias standard No Formula 1 – Belgian GP The Red Bulls destroy the dream of Carlos Sainz, who climbs to the podium as third Sergi Font Since then, Alonso has searched for that grail. In the 2007 McLaren that he shared with Hamilton based on ax blows and bad faces in the McLaren powder keg. On the way back to the orange Renault, he no longer ran like before. In the top-of-the-range Ferrari, a unique team in history, he met the irrepressible Red Bull designed by Adrian Newey for the greater glory of Vettel. And since 2015, a serene decline back to McLaren, first with the ineffable Honda engine that now wins races for Red Bull and later with the Renault engine. The withdrawal was, in fact, a see you later, a parenthesis to experience challenges and the other motorsports (Le Mans, the Endurance, the Indianapolis 500, the Dakar) because the driver lives for one goal: that third Formula 1 title. 351 Grand Prix Alonso will become the driver with the most races in F1 on Sunday. He beats Raikkonen (350) and Barrichello (323) Alpine, the commercial name of the usual Renault, welcomed him with open arms for the third time. And the marriage seemed solid until the question of age arose. Alpine management wanted to renew him year-on-year based on performance, and Alonso felt that his mix of experience and speed did not have to pass any more annual tests. The pilot, even without winning, continues to cause reactions and worldwide attention. The signing of him by Aston Martin, two seasons, raises reasonable doubts. They are the ninth team out of ten in the constructors’ standings. In the driver’s office there is confidence that the British team (formerly Racing Point, Force India, Spyker, Midland and Jordan) can star in a Red Bull, a team that was located below the middle of the table at the beginning of the century and became champion in 2010 from the laws of aerodynamic design. « I will reach 400 grands prix for sure, so that is a great number. It shows my passion for this category and my discipline to always perform at the highest level”, said the Asturian driver in recent races. “If you don’t perform, no team is going to give you a shot at 400 grands prix, that’s for sure,” he argues. The motivation to achieve that third wound one day keeps Fernando Alonso with the vitality of always in the ecosystem that he knows best.