Fernando Alonso has stuck around to pursue his passion and devotion to the sport through thick and thin. He started his Formula 1 journey after his karting and junior racing years. He signed as the reserve driver for Minardi in 2000. He joined the racing team and got them the best result of 10th place with a non-competitive car.
After Minardi, he signed as a reserve driver for Renault in 2002 and worked with the engineering department and tested in Spain and the United Kingdom. In 2003 he joined the Renault racing team and became the youngest pole-sitter at the second race of the season. During the Hungarian Grand Prix in the same year, he broke the record and became the youngest race winner in Formula 1.
Alonso then stayed with Renault in 2005 and would go on to become the youngest World Champion with seven race wins, 14 podium finishes, six pole positions, and 133 points in the Driver’s Standings. After his Renault wins, he went back and forth with a lot of teams like McLaren and finally made his move to Alpine. But seems like Alpine did not have a contract ready for him after which he moved to Aston Martin.
Will Fernando Alonso stay in Formula 1 for the 2024 season?
After his 2022 contract with Alpine, he seemed to not receive a concrete contract from the team. However, he said that if he would have, he would commit to the team once again. But after Pierre Gasly’s move from AlphaTauri to Alpine, Alonso was not sure of his place. That was when Aston Martin reached out to him with a contract.
Alonso told NextGen in an interview, “Last year was quite a stressful Grand Prix here [Hungary] in terms of emotions, with that offer from Lawrence [Stroll], but yes, it was a good decision, a lucky decision and I’m glad I made it.”
“In fact, it wasn’t a choice, because I didn’t receive any concrete offer from Alpine. Just words. If I’d had an offer from Alpine at the start of the year, I would have signed it. That’s for sure. But I only had one offer and I accepted it.”
After not receiving a contract from his team, he decided to finally make the move to Aston Martin. Alonso has earned himself a few podium finishes with Aston Martin, leaving Mercedes behind in the first half of the season. While there are no updates on his future in Formula 1, he hopes to hold into his Aston Martin seat. Alonso was given a contract by Lawrence Stroll to drive alongside his son Lance Stroll for Aston Martin in 2023.