Difference between revisions of "Fernando Alonso"

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{{F1 driver|
 
{{F1 driver|
 
   Name = Fernando Alonso |
 
   Name = Fernando Alonso |
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   Image = [[Image:Fernando Alonso 2006 Malaysia.jpg|222px]]|
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   Image = [[Image:Alonso_usgp_2004_pits.jpg|222px]] |
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   Caption = |
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   Caption = Fernando Alonso |
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   Nationality = {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Spain|Spanish]] |
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   Nationality = Spanish |
 
   Car number = 1 |
 
   Car number = 1 |
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   Team = [[McLaren|Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]] |
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   Team = [[Renault F1|Renault]] |
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  Team for 2007 = [[McLaren|Vodafone McLaren Mercedes]] |
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   Races = 81 |
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   Races = 94 (93 starts) |
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   Championships = 1 ([[2005 Formula One season|2005]]) |
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   Championships = 2 ([[2005 Formula One season|2005]], [[2006 Formula One season|2006]]) |
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   Wins = 14 |
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   Wins = 17 |
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   Podiums = 33 |
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   Podiums = 41 |
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   Poles = 14 |
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   Poles = 16 |
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   Fastest laps = 6 |
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   Fastest laps = 10 |
 
 
   First race = [[2001 Australian Grand Prix]] |
 
   First race = [[2001 Australian Grand Prix]] |
 
   First win = [[2003 Hungarian Grand Prix]] |
 
   First win = [[2003 Hungarian Grand Prix]] |
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  Last win = [[2007 Monaco Grand Prix]] |
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   Last season = 2006 |
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  Last race = [[2007 Canadian Grand Prix]] |
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   Last position = 1st (96 pts)|
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   Last season = 2007 |
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   Career points = 343
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   Last position = 2nd (40 pts)|
 
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   Points = 421
 
 
}}
 
}}
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'''Fernando Alonso Díaz''' (born on [[July 29]], [[1981]] in [[Oviedo]], [[Asturias]], [[Spain]]) is a Spanish [[Formula One]] racing driver and reigning, two-time, world champion. He currently lives in [[Oxford]], [[England]], and owns a house near [[Lake Geneva]], [[Switzerland]].
 
  
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On [[September 25]] [[2005]] he won the [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Driver's Championship]] title at the age of 24 years and 58 days, thus breaking [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]'s record of being the youngest F1 champion and is also the youngest double champion. He is nicknamed ''El Nano''.<ref>{{ cite web | title = La Nueva España :: Galería | publisher = La Nueva España | date = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 | url = http://mas.lne.es/galeria/galeria.php?foto=2958 }}</ref>
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'''Fernando Alonso Díaz''' (born on [[July 29]], [[1981]] in [[Oviedo]], [[Asturias]], [[Spain]]) is a [[Formula One]] racing driver, currently living in [[Oxford]]. On [[September 25]] [[2005]] he won the [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Driver's Championship]] title at the age of 24 years and 59 days, thus breaking [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]'s record of being the youngest F1 champion, and ending [[Michael Schumacher]]'s run of five consecutive championships.
  
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== Personal and early life ==
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Alonso was often tipped to be Schumacher's natural successor, sharing some of his attributes. He is one of the drivers capable of being on the pace every lap in a race and having the ability of driving around problems while losing minimal lap time. He was nicknamed "Magic Alonso" by a [[Telecinco]] commentator (a nickname that later became the title of a song by [[Melendi]]).
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Born Fernando Alonso Díaz on July 29, 1981, in Oviedo, in the Asturias province of northern Spain. His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as an explosives expert in the mining industry.
 
  
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Alonso has an older sister Lorena. Alonso's father José Luis, an amateur kart racer, wished to pass on his passion to his children. He built a pedal kart originally meant for eight-year-old Lorena, but she showed no interest in the sport as opposed to her three-year-old brother.
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== Early years ==
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Born Fernando Alonso Díaz (his full name includes his mother's maiden name as is [[Iberian naming customs|Spanish custom]]) on July 29, 1981, in Oviedo, in the Asturias province of northern Spain. His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as an explosives expert in the mining industry. The Alonsos and their two children, older sister Lorena and Fernando, lived comfortably but were by no means a wealthy family. Fernando’s father José Luis, an amateur kart racer, wished to pass on his passion to his children. He built a pedal kart mimicking an F1 car. Originally the kart was meant for eight-year-old Lorena but she showed no interest in the sport, as opposed to her three-year-old brother, who was eager to have a go. His parents said he showed a competitive spirit at that young age.
  
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He is dating [[Raquel del Rosario]], lead singer of Spanish pop group [[El Sueño de Morfeo]]. Reports that the two married in November 2006 have since been denied.<ref>{{cite news| title = The girls in pole position| work = Mail on Sunday| publisher = Associated Newspapers| page = 34| date = 2007-02-25| accessdate =2007-04-08}}</ref>
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From then on the youngster and his father, who also doubled as his mechanic, competed in karting competitions around Spain. While his entire family fully supported Fernando’s increasingly successful hobby, his progress would require more funding than his family’s resources could provide. It was difficult to acquire sponsorships and Fernando knew the only way to get the financial backings was to win races, as he did with success. Alonso won in many races he entered. Age was never a hindrance as he easily won three Spanish Karting Titles ([[1994]], [[1996]] and [[1997]]). He raced in the [[European Karting Championship]], placing second, and by his mid teens he was the [[World Junior Karting Championship|world junior karting champion]] in [[1996]].  
  
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==Pre-Formula One==
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In [[1999]], Alonso made the jump to open-wheel cars, racing the Spanish [[World Series by Nissan|Euro Open MoviStar by Nissan]] (his first and last season in the series) with the help of former [[Minardi]] F1 driver [[Adrián Campos]].  Then only 18 years old, he became the series champion, immediately earning him a ticket to [[Formula 3000]] in [[2000]]. A win at the [[Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps|Spa-Francorchamps]] highlighted a very solid fourth place in the drivers championship, and Alonso was off for Formula One in [[2001]].
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As a child, Alonso and his father, who also doubled as his mechanic, participated in [[karting]] competitions around Spain. His family lacked the financial resources needed to develop a career in motorsport, but his victories guaranteed sponsorships and the required funds.
 
  
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He won four Spanish championships in the junior category, in [[1993]], [[1994]], [[1995]] and [[1996]]. He also won the Junior World Cup in [[1996]]. He won the Spanish and Italian Inter-A titles in [[1997]] and finished second of the European Championship in [[1998]], winning the Spanish Inter-A title again.
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== [[Minardi]] ==
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[[Image:Fernando alonso.jpg |right|thumb|Alonso ]]
  
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Former [[Minardi]] F1 driver [[Adrián Campos]] gave Alonso his first test in a race car in October 1998. After three days of testing Alonso had matched the lap times of Campos' previous driver [[Marc Gene]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Campos signed Alonso to race for him in the 1999 Spanish [[World Series by Nissan|Euro Open MoviStar by Nissan]].<ref name="alonsof1fbio"> {{cite web | title = Who's Who: Fernando Alonso | publisher = F1Fanatic.co.uk | date = 2006 | url = http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/whos-who/whos-who-a/fernando-alonso/ | accessdate =2006-01-07}}</ref>
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===2001===
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Alonso was the third-youngest driver to start a F1 race when he made his debut with [[Minardi]] at the [[2001 Australian Grand Prix]].  The car was not highly competitive during his [[rookie]] season, and Alonso failed to score a championship point. However, in the races he finished without mechanical problems, he was usually ahead of his team mate, and sometimes ahead of technically superior cars.
  
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He won his first race at the second attempt that year, at the same [[Albacete]] circuit where he tested in 1998. By the final round of the season he needed to win and set fastest lap to beat rival [[Manuel Giao]] to the championship, which he did. Alonso also took the opportunity to test for the [[Minardi]] F1 team, where sporting director [[Cesare Fiorio]] saw him lap 1.5 seconds faster than the other drivers being tested by Minardi.<ref name="alonsof1fbio" /> The following season Alonso moved up to [[Formula 3000]], which was often the final step for drivers before ascending to Formula One. Alonso joined Team Astromega and was the youngest driver in the series that year by eleven months.<ref name="alonsof1fbio" />
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== [[Renault F1]] ==
  
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Alonso didn't score a point until the seventh race of the year, but in the final two rounds he took a second place and a victory, enough for him to end the season fourth overall behind [[Bruno Junqueira]], [[Nicolas Minassian]] and [[Mark Webber]].<ref name="alonsof1fbio" />
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===2002-2003===
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His driving talents earned him a spot with the newly-founded [[Renault F1|Renault]] team in [[2002]] as a test driver (run by his manager, [[Flavio Briatore]]); the team groomed him to be a regular driver in [[2003 Formula One season|2003]].  With a much better car than in his first F1 stint and in only his second race for Renault, Alonso became the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One [[pole position]] at the [[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix]]; he also became the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One race at the [[2003 Hungarian Grand Prix]]. At season's end, he was sixth in the championship, with 55 points and four podiums. This was below his team's expectations.{{fact}}
  
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==Formula One==
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[[Image:Alonso US-GP 2004.jpg|left|300px|thumbnail|Fernando Alonso driving for the [[Renault F1|Renault]] Formula One team at the 2004 [[United States Grand Prix|US Grand Prix]]]]
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===2001: Minardi===
 
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{{seealso|Minardi}}
 
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Alonso was the third-youngest driver ever to start a F1 race when he made his debut with Minardi at the [[2001 Australian Grand Prix]]. The team was in its first season under the control of new owner [[Paul Stoddart]] and their new car, the PS01, was neither competitive nor reliable. However Alonso's qualifying performance was good, at his first race he out-qualified team mate [[Tarso Marques]] by 2.6s. At the fourth round at [[Imola]] he outqualified both of the Benettons, a feat he repeated later in the season.<ref name="alonsof1fbio" />
 
  
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Following some notable performances over the 2001 season had earned him some attention from the faster teams. It was reported in September 2001 by some of the European press that [[Sauber]] were looking to replace outgoing [[Kimi Räikkönen]] with the Spaniard although he was facing compeition for the seat from [[Felipe Massa]] and then [[Jaguar Racing|Jaguar]] test driver [[Andre Lotterer]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Sauber chasing Alonso |url=http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns04843.html |publisher=GrandPrix.com |date=[[2001]]-[[09-11]] |accessdate=2007-06-05 }}</ref> A month later it was confirmed that Massa was going to take the vacant Sauber seat for 2002.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sauber confirms Massa |url=http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns04979.html |publisher=GrandPrix.com |date=[[2001]]-[[10-12]] |accessdate=2007-06-05 }}</ref>
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===2004===
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Alonso remained with Renault for the [[2004 Formula One season|2004 season]] but the difficult-to-drive R24 kept him out of the winner's circle. In the early part of 2004, though, questions were asked of Alonso when he was comprehensively out-qualified and out-raced by teammate [[Jarno Trulli]]. The situation would change towards the end of the year when Trulli suffered a mysterious lack of form after dropping Renault boss Flavio Briatore as his manager. Trulli's relationship with the team deteriorated to the extent that he signed for [[Toyota F1|Toyota]] from [[2005]] onwards, and even left for his new team for the final 3 races of [[2004]]. Though he had no wins, Alonso ended the year a career-best fourth in the championship standings, scoring 59 points and four podiums.
  
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In September, his manager [[Flavio Briatore]] had begun planning to place Alonso at Benetton. Briatore considered promoting Alonso for 2002, in place of [[Jenson Button]], but instead chose to take Alonso on as a full-time test driver for 2002.<ref name="alonsof1fbio" /> At the final round of 2001 at [[2001 Japanese Grand Prix|Suzuka]] he finished eleventh - five places outside the points but ahead, on merit, of [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]]’s [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] (with a [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]]-derived engine), the [[BAR]]-[[Honda Racing F1|Honda]] of [[Olivier Panis]], the two [[Arrows]] and [[Alex Yoong]] (his new team mate).<ref name="alonsof1fbio" />
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===2005===
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For the [[2005]] [[2005 Formula One season|championship]] season, he was joined by Italian [[Giancarlo Fisichella]]. He finished third in the [[2005 Australian Grand Prix|first race]] in Australia. In the [[2005 Malaysian Grand Prix|second race]] of the season in Malaysia he got pole position and easily won the race. Alonso repeated this form in the season's third race, winning the [[2005 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain Grand Prix]] from pole position, and continued his good form with a close win over [[Michael Schumacher]] in the [[2005 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]] after an epic battle with the 7-time World Champion lasting about 13 laps. While he did not win his [[2005 Spanish Grand Prix|home grand prix]] he set the mark for the rest of the season, driving consistently to finish second after [[Kimi Räikkönen]].
  
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===2002-2006: Renault===
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McLaren's improving form saw Räikkönen win again at [[2005 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] while Alonso suffered from high tyre wear, though finishing fourth. One of the most memorable moments of the 2005 season was Räikkönen's spectacular exit from the [[2005 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]] at the [[Nürburgring]], granting the win to Alonso.
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{{seealso|Renault F1}}
 
  
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====2002-03====
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Alonso's run of good results came to an end at the [[2005 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]], when he made a mistake and crashed into the wall at the Villeneuve corner, damaging his suspension, after coming under pressure from the [[Team McLaren|McLarens]] of [[Juan Pablo Montoya]] and Räikkönen. It was his first retirement of the year.
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Alonso became test driver for [[Renault F1|Renault]] in 2002 (Renault having taken over the Benetton team) and did 1,642 laps of testing that year. In 2003 Briatore dropped Button and put Alonso in the second seat alongside [[Jarno Trulli]].<ref name="alonsof1fbio" />
 
  
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The Spaniard became the youngest driver to achieve a Formula One [[pole position]] at the [[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix]]. Alonso had a 180mph crash at the [[2003 Brazilian Grand Prix]], the result of missing double yellow flags{{Fact|date=February 2007}} brought out by [[Mark Webber]]'s earlier crash and colliding with the debris. The race was red-flagged. He finished second at his home grand prix two races later, and became the youngest driver to win a Formula One race at the [[2003 Hungarian Grand Prix]].  He finished the year sixth in the championship, with 55 points and four podiums.
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At the [[2005 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]], due to safety concerns over the Michelin tyres, Alonso, along with all the other [[Michelin]] drivers, did not start.
  
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[[Image:Alonso US-GP 2004.jpg|left|300px|thumbnail|Fernando Alonso driving for the [[Renault F1|Renault]] Formula One team at the [[2004 United States Grand Prix]].]]
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Alonso took his third pole position of the season at the [[2005 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]], and led the race from start to finish, winning his fifth race of the season. He followed this with pole position a week later at the [[2005 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]], where he finished a conservative second behind a [[Team McLaren|McLaren-Mercedes]], as colombian Juan Pablo Montoya took his first victory of the season.
  
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====2004====
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McLaren's poor reliability granted another win to Alonso at the [[2005 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]] when Kimi Räikkönen's car suffered a hydraulic failure. Alonso then celebrated his 24th birthday two days before the [[2005 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian Grand Prix]] but qualified only 6th and finished 11th and out of the points after a collision with the Toyota of [[Ralf Schumacher]] that partly damaged his car.
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Alonso remained with Renault for the [[2004 Formula One season|2004 season]]. In the early part of 2004 questions were asked of Alonso when he was generally out-qualified by teammate [[Jarno Trulli]]. However towards the end of the year Trulli's performance deteriorated and he dropped Renault boss Flavio Briatore as his manager. Trulli's relationship with the team deteriorated to the extent that he signed for [[Toyota F1|Toyota]] from [[2005]] onwards. Alonso ended the year a fourth in the championship standings, scoring 59 points and four podiums.
 
  
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====2005====
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At the [[2005 Turkish Grand Prix|Turkish Grand Prix]] Alonso took 2nd place from Juan Pablo Montoya after the Colombian collided with [[Tiago Monteiro]] in the closing stages of the race. At [[2005 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]], Alonso qualified third and drove consistently to finish second behind Montoya.
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For the {{f1|2005}} season, he was joined at Renault by Italian [[Giancarlo Fisichella]]. He fought his way up to third in the first race in [[2005 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] after qualifying near the back due to the wet conditions. For the second race of the season, in [[2005 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysia]], he qualified in pole position and won the race. Alonso won the [[2005 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain Grand Prix]] from pole position, and the [[2005 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]] after a 13-laps battle with the 7-time World Champion [[Michael Schumacher]]. He finished second behind [[Kimi Räikkönen]] at the [[2005 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]].
 
  
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[[Team McLaren|McLaren]]'s improving form saw Räikkönen win again at [[2005 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] while Alonso suffered from high tyre wear and finished fourth. One of the most memorable moments of the 2005 season was Räikkönen's spectacular exit from the [[2005 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]] at the [[Nürburgring]] during the last lap, which granted the win to Alonso. Räikkönen had flat-spotted a tyre which started severe vibrations, eventually causing the suspension to fail. 
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At the [[2005 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]], Alonso finished second and struggled with a car which was extremely difficult to drive due to a less than ideal set-up for the track conditions. He again made up a place in the closing stages after [[Antônio Pizzonia]] crashed into Montoya.
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[[Image:Alonso (Renault) qualifying at USGP 2005.jpg|thumb|300px|Alonso at the [[2005 United States Grand Prix]].]]
 
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At the [[2005 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] Alonso made a mistake and crashed into the wall at the Villeneuve corner, damaging his suspension, after coming under pressure from the McLarens of [[Juan Pablo Montoya]] and Räikkönen. At the [[2005 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]], due to safety concerns over the [[Michelin]] tyres, Alonso, along with all the other Michelin drivers, did not start.
 
  
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Alonso took his third pole position and fifth win at the [[2005 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]]. He followed this with pole position a week later at the [[2005 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]], where he finished a second behind Montoya. McLaren's poor reliability granted another win to Alonso at the [[2005 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]] when Kimi Räikkönen's car suffered a hydraulic failure. Alonso celebrated his 24th birthday two days before the [[2005 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian Grand Prix]] but qualified 6th and finished 11th after a collision with the Toyota of [[Ralf Schumacher]] that partly damaged his car.
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The Spaniard qualified on pole, but finished 3rd in the [[2005 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] to clinch the Driver's Championship title at the age of 24 years and 59 days old, thus breaking [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]'s record of being the youngest F1 champion in history by about 18 months, and ending the 5-year dominance of Michael Schumacher. He had led the championship from the second race of the season. Commenting on his victory, he said:
 +
:''"I just want to dedicate this championship to my family, and all my close friends who have supported me through my career. Spain is not a country with an F1 culture, and we had to fight alone, every step of the way, to make this happen. A huge thank-you should also go to the team as well - they are the best in Formula One, and we have done this together. It will say that I am world champion, but we are all champions - and they deserve this."''
  
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At the [[2005 Turkish Grand Prix|Turkish Grand Prix]] Alonso took 2nd place from Juan Pablo Montoya after the Colombian went off the track in the closing stages of the race. At [[2005 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]], Alonso qualified third finished second behind Montoya. At the [[2005 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]], Alonso finished second. He made up a place in the closing stages after [[Antônio Pizzonia]] crashed into Montoya.
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The [[2005 Japanese Grand Prix|Japanese]] and [[2005 Chinese Grand Prix|Chinese]] Grands Prix saw Alonso and Renault abandon the conservative style evident in Brazil when he was still chasing the championship title and Renault closed the performance gap considerably. Jordan's commercial director Ian Phillips described Alonso's overtaking manoeuvre around Schumacher at Suzuka as “one of the best of all time at this grandiose circuit”. Starting from 16th on the grid, he eventually finished third behind race-winner Räikkönen, who started from 17th on the grid and clinched victory with a last-lap pass on Fisichella, and his team mate. The [[Chinese Grand Prix]] saw Renault and Alonso win to claim the 1st Constructor’s Championship for the Renault F1 team.
  
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The Spaniard qualified on pole, but finished 3rd in the [[2005 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] to clinch the Driver's Championship title at the age of 24 years and 59 days old, thus breaking [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]'s record of being the youngest F1 champion in history by about 18 months, and ending the 5-year dominance of Michael Schumacher. He had led the championship from the second race of the season. Commenting on his victory, he said: "I just want to dedicate this championship to my family, and all my close friends who have supported me through my career. Spain is not a country with an F1 culture, and we had to fight alone, every step of the way, to make this happen. A huge thank-you should also go to the team as well - they are the best in Formula One, and we have done this together. It will say that I am world champion, but we are all champions - and they deserve this." In the May 2007 issue of ''[[F1 Racing]]'', Alonso said that the 2005 Brazilian Grand Prix was his greatest race. He said, "It was a dream come true and a very emotional day. In the last few laps I leaped, thinking I could hear noises from the engine- from everywhere! But all was okay and I can remember my relief when I crossed the finish line."
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Proponents of Kimi Räikkönen argue that he has been the best driver of the 2005 season despite having the same number of victories (seven) as the Spaniard. Without the reliability issues Räikkönen might have won the Drivers' Championship. However most commentators agree that Alonso fully deserves the title, dominating the early part of the season while McLaren struggled and driving consistently since then to capitalise on Räikkönen's problems.
  
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The [[2005 Japanese Grand Prix|Japanese]] and [[2005 Chinese Grand Prix|Chinese]] Grands Prix saw Alonso and Renault abandon the conservative style evident in Brazil when he was still chasing the championship title and Renault closed the performance gap. Starting from 16th on the grid, he eventually finished third behind race-winner Räikkönen, who started from 17th on the grid and clinched victory with a last-lap pass on Fisichella. The [[Chinese Grand Prix]] saw Renault and Alonso win to claim the 1st Constructor’s Championship for the Renault F1 team.
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===2006===
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[[Image:Fernando_Alonso helmet.jpg|thumb|120px|Fernando Alonso's 2006 helmet design]]
  
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Proponents of Kimi Räikkönen argue that he was the best driver of the 2005 season despite having the same number of victories (seven) as the Spaniard.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} However, other commentators argue that Alonso fully deserved and earned the title, dominating the early part of the season and driving consistently in the later part, while McLaren and Räikkönen struggled with reliability problems.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
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Alonso's season started with a close win over Michael Schumacher at the [[2006 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain Grand Prix]], overtaking the German after coming out of the pitlane with 18 laps left.  He had qualified fourth but was able to win after overtaking Massa and edging Schumacher out after his last pit stop.
  
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In 2005, he was awarded with the Sports [[Prince of Asturias Awards|Prince of Asturias Award]].<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.fundacionprincipedeasturias.org/ing/04/premiados/trayectorias/trayectoria805.html | title = Fernando Alonso | publisher = The Price of Asturias Foundation | date = 2005 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 }}</ref>
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He qualified a disappointing seventh at the [[2006 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysian Grand Prix]] due to a fueling error but was able to finish second to team mate Giancarlo Fisichella after an excellent start, overtaking four cars, and with a better race pace than Jenson Button.
  
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====2006====
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Fernando beat Kimi Räikkönen to victory in [[2006 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] after overtaking leader Jenson Button's Honda.
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[[Image:Fernando_Alonso.jpg|thumb|120px|Fernando Alonso's {{F1|2006}} helmet design.]]
 
  
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Alonso's season started with a close win over Michael Schumacher at the [[2006 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain Grand Prix]], overtaking the German after coming out of the pit lane with 18 laps left, having qualified fourth. He qualified seventh at the [[2006 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysian Grand Prix]] due to a fueling error<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4125/752.html | title = Qualifying - selected driver quotes | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | date = 2006-03-18 | accessdate = 2007-01-22 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4133/752.html | title = Malaysian Grand Prix - selected driver quotes | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | date = 2006-03-19 | accessdate = 2007-01-22 }}</ref> but was able to finish second to team mate Giancarlo Fisichella after a good start. He won the [[2006 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grand Prix]] after overtaking leader [[Jenson Button]]'s Honda.
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After poor qualifying (by their past standards) for both Renaults at [[2006 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino]], Alonso was unable to pass Michael Schumacher for the majority of the race, partly due to the track's lack of overtaking opportunities and partly due to Schumacher's defensive driving in a Ferrari which appeared considerably faster on the straights. Renault attempted to pre-empt Ferrari with an early pitstop but a clear in-lap for Schumacher, who counter-attacked by pitting early in the next lap, coupled with traffic for Alonso's out-lap, allowed Schumacher to leave the pit lane seconds before Alonso could pass him. Later, Alonso considered the early pitstop a tactical mistake. Schumacher won to reverse the positions of the [[2005 San Marino Grand Prix]].
  
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After poor qualifying at [[2006 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino]], Alonso was unable to pass Michael Schumacher in the race. It was a repeat of 2005 but Schumacher had to hold Alonso back for twice as long as Alonso had to the previous year. Schumacher qualified a lowly 14th but managed to overtake the drivers ahead as they pitted. He was soon on the heels of Alonso and pipped him for 1st place before the crucial pitstop.  Alonso secured pole ahead of Schumacher for the [[2006 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]], but the German overtook him during the second round of pit stops and he finished second. On [[May 14]], [[2006]], Alonso won the [[2006 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]], becoming the first Spaniard to win his home grand prix.
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Alonso won pole ahead of Schumacher for the [[2006 European Grand Prix]]. It was thought he qualified with less fuel than in previous grands prix but this was not the case, as the Spaniard pitted only two laps ahead of Schumacher in the first stint. However, in the second stint Schumacher pitted several laps later and emerged 5.5 seconds ahead of Alonso. Those positions remained until the end of the race, with Felipe Massa finishing third and Kimi Räikkönen fourth, both just behind Alonso, as Räikkönen had been pressuring Massa in the final laps and appeared faster.
  
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He achieved his 12th victory and 12th pole position in the [[2006 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]], the latter several hours after the qualifying session had concluded and after Schumacher was penalised by the stewards for "deliberately [stopping] his car on the circuit in the last few minutes of qualifying", denying his rivals, Alonso included, the opportunity of recording fastest qualifying lap.<ref>{{ cite web | title = Schumacher is stripped of pole | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | date = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4430/757.html }}</ref>
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On [[May 14]], [[2006]], Alonso dominated to win the [[2006 Spanish Grand Prix]], the first Spaniard to win his home grand prix.
  
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[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2006 Canada.jpg|thumb|275px|right|At the [[2006 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]], Alonso took his 6th victory of the year. ]]
+
He achieved his 12th victory and 12th pole position in the [[2006 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]], the latter several hours after the qualifying session had concluded. Schumacher was sanctioned by the stewards for "deliberately stopping his car on the circuit in the last few minutes of qualifying", denying his rivals, Alonso included, the opportunity of recording fastest qualifying lap. During the race, Alonso was mainly threatened by [[Kimi Räikkönen]], who ran close to him for much of the race, and [[Mark Webber]], who looked set to challenge for the lead in the next round of pit stops. Both suffered mechanical problems and withdrew, allowing Fernando Alonso to cruise to his first victory at Monaco.
  
−
Alonso dominated the [[2006 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] from the Saturday qualifying session to the end of the race on Sunday. It was the first time Alonso achieved pole position, victory and fastest lap in a grand prix. In [[2006 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]] he secured his fifth pole position in a row and won the race.
+
Alonso dominated the [[2006 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] from the Saturday qualifying session to the end of the race on Sunday. It was the first time Alonso achieved pole position, victory and fastest lap in a grand prix. Schumacher and Räikkönen joined him on the podium.
  
−
He qualified fifth for the [[2006 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]] and finished the race in that position. Schumacher's victory meant Alonso's advantage over him in the championship was reduced from 25 points to 19. Schumacher won the [[2006 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]], with Alonso in second. Alonso finished fifth in the [[2006 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]], with the Renault uncompetitive in the race.<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4725/762.html | title = Renault on the ropes after Hockenheim? | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | date = 2006-07-30 | accessdate = 2007-01-22 }}</ref>
+
The [[2006 Canadian Grand Prix]] was a new victory for him, and his fifth pole position in a row. Michael Schumacher finished second after taking advantage of a late error by Kimi Räikkönen, who finished third, and a [[safety car]] period that allowed both of them to reduce the gap to the driver ahead.
  
−
After his two-seconds penaly at the [[2006 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian Grand Prix]],<ref name="twosecspenalty" /> he qualified in 15th place. Rival Michael Schumacher qualified in 11th place after being penalised with another two seconds.<ref>{{ cite web | title = Raikkonen steals pole in Hungary | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4768/763.html | date = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 }}</ref> Alonso looked set for an unlikely win as he overtook most of the field, including Schumacher around the outside of turn 5, as he showed prowess in the wet conditions. However he failed to finish due to mechanical problems. However, Schumacher was promoted one place to 8th place, claiming one point, after [[Robert Kubica]] was disqualified. At the following race in [[2006 Turkish Grand Prix|Turkey]], Alonso finished in second, ahead of Schumacher in third, after a 13-lap battle.  
+
His run of good results ended at the [[2006 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]], when he qualified fifth and finished the race in that position. Ferrari were superior all weekend and Michael Schumacher won the race, followed by his teammate Felipe Massa, and Giancarlo Fisichella. This meant Alonso's advantage over Schumacher in the championship was reduced from 25 points to 19. Schumacher won the [[2006 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] too, with Alonso finishing second and losing 2 more advantage points. It had been suggested [[Michelin]] (tyre suppliers for Renault) had been too conservative at the United States Grand Prix. However, the French Grand Prix showed [[Bridgestone]] (tyre suppliers for Ferrari) were competitive in general, and had improved the quality of their tyres.
  
−
At the [[2006 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]] Alonso suffered a tyre puncture during qualifying that also damaged bodywork at the back of his chassis. He qualified fifth but was later controversially punished<ref name="notasport" /> by the stewards for blocking [[Felipe Massa]]'s Ferrari,<ref>{{ cite web | title = Alonso punished for blocking Massa | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | date = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4923/765.html }}</ref> and he started the race from the 10th position. In the race he rose to third place, overtaking Massa during the last round of pit stops, and Robert Kubica during the pit stop itself. However, an engine failure forced him to withdraw. Michael Schumacher won the Grand Prix and cut Alonso's Championship lead to two points.
+
During the [[2006 Formula One season|2006 season]] he was seen performing some sort of animal movements after his victories. When asked about them, he said "It’s a secret. It’s not an animal, either."[http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4375/756.html], indicating it was some kind of inside joke or bet with his friends or family. Some journalists have observed there's a similarity between those movements and some film scenes from [[Hulk (film)|Hulk]] and [[How the Grinch Stole Christmas!|The Grinch]].
  
−
At the following round in [[2006 Chinese Grand Prix|China]], Alonso achieved pole position during a wet qualifying session. In a mixed weather race Alonso finished second to Schumacher. The result tied Alonso and Schumacher by points in the drivers championship, but saw Alonso demoted to second place due to Schumacher winning one more race.
+
== [[Team McLaren|McLaren]] ==
−
[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2006 Brazil.jpg|thumb|left|Alonso won the 2006 title at the [[2006 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]].]]
 
  
−
At the [[2006 Japanese Grand Prix|Japanese Grand Prix]], the Ferraris of Schumacher and Massa qualified first and second, more than half a second faster than the Renaults in fifth and sixth. However, during the race both performed similarly and Alonso ran 2nd, about 5 seconds behind Schumacher, for many laps. Then, Schumacher's engine failed and he retired. Alonso won and recovered the first place in the driver's championship, with a 10-point advantage over Schumacher with one race remaining. This meant he only needed one more point to secure his second title, which came at the [[2006 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] on [[October 22]], when he finished second behind Felipe Massa's Ferrari. With Schumacher finishing fourth, the final difference was 13 points. Alonso thus became the youngest double champion in the sport's history. Renault also clinched the Constructors' Championship with a 5-point gap over Ferrari.
+
===2007===
 +
On [[December 19]], [[2005]], Fernando Alonso and McLaren principal [[Ron Dennis]] announced that Fernando would be moving to McLaren for [[2007]]. For some, this immediately put some doubt on whether he would perform well with Renault in 2006, given that they might not throw their full support behind a driver who they knew was going to leave them at the end of the season. Others saw it as a sign that Renault was pulling out of Formula 1 at the end of 2006. However, Alonso's overall performance, and [[Carlos Ghosn]]'s announcement that Renault would stay committed to Formula 1 beyond the end of 2006 put an end to those rumours.
  
−
===2007- : McLaren===
+
==Laurels==
−
{{seealso|McLaren}}
 
  
−
[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2007.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Alonso at the [[2007 Malaysian Grand Prix]], his first victory for McLaren.]]
 
  
−
On [[December 19]], [[2005]], Fernando Alonso announced that he would be moving to McLaren for [[2007]].<ref>{{ cite web | title = Alonso in shock move to McLaren | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | date = 2005 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 | url = http://www.formula1.com/news/3888.html }}</ref> His contract with Renault was set to expire on [[December 31]], [[2006]] However, on [[December 15]], [[2006]], Alonso was allowed by Flavio Briatore and the Renault F1 Team to test for one day for McLaren in the [[Circuito Permanente de Jerez|Jerez]] circuit, as a result of his successes with Renault. Driving an unbranded [[McLaren MP4-21|MP4-21]] and wearing a plain white helmet and overalls, Alonso completed 95 laps but, due to the car lacking a timer transponder, his lap times could not be fully determined.<ref>{{ cite web | title = Jerez day four - Hamilton on form in Spain | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | date = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 | url = http://www.formula1.com/news/5422.html }}</ref> This test session did not mean that his contract had expired. [[Lewis Hamilton]] was chosen as his partner for the season. McLaren are reported to be paying Alonso [[Pound sterling|GB£]]20&nbsp;million (approx US$39&nbsp;million c. 2007) in 2007. Alonso debuted with the new McLaren car on [[January 15]], [[2007]], in the streets of [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]]. Alonso has recently taken delivery of his company car, the 150 car limited edition [[Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren|Mercedes-McLaren SLR 722]]. Alonso described the SLR 722 as the "prettiest car in the world."
+
He has been awarded the [[2005]] [[Prince of Asturias Award]] of Sports, the youngest to receive the prize.
  
−
On [[8 April]] 2007 in his second race for the team, Fernando secured his first win for McLaren, and the team's first since 2005 with a commanding drive at [[2007 Malaysian Grand Prix|Sepang]]. A difficult drive at Bahrain's Sakhir circuit on [[15 April]], saw him finishing 5th behind his rookie team mate who took a podium finish. In the fourth race of the year in Spain his home grand prix he qualified second. He had a first lap crash with Massa which caused some damage to his car and dropped him to fourth. He finished the race third. On [[May 27]] Fernando secured his second victory for McLaren with a dominating performance at [[2007 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]], scoring pole position, fastest lap and the race win and in the process lapping the entire field up to 3rd position.
+
Also, before the closing of the 2005 season, retired three-times F1 title holder [[Niki Lauda]], hailed Alonso as:
 +
:''"perfect, the most complete performer in Formula One today and thoroughly deserving of becoming the 2005 world champion. Yet I also have to say that Alonso is extraordinary. The more pressure he has the better he drives. I've never seen any driver of that age so completely composed and consistent. OK, so he made one slip at Montreal [when he hit the wall] but, speaking for myself, I reckon that I would have made many more mistakes if I'd been in that position at that age. I cannot find a single weakness in Alonso from any viewpoint. He's obviously a huge asset to the Renault team but more importantly a huge asset to the sport as a whole. I think he is perfect."''
  
−
===Controversies===
+
While he was managing the Brazilian team in the inaugural race of the [[A1 Grand Prix]] at [[Brand's Hatch]], [[Emerson Fittipaldi]] was asked to comment on his feelings about possibly losing the record to Alonso, to which he replied, ''"In him [Alonso], I know that my record is in safe hands."''
−
 
 
−
* At the [[2003 European Grand Prix]], [[David Coulthard]] and [[McLaren]] managing director [[Martin Whitmarsh]] accused Alonso of giving Coulthard a [[braketest|brake test]].<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3030542.stm |title = Coulthard blames Alonso |publisher = BBC Sport |date = 2003-06-29 |accessdate = 2007-01-16}}</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
* At the [[2006 Hungarian Grand Prix]], Alonso was involved in an incident in which he braketested [[Red Bull Racing]] test driver [[Robert Doornbos]] in the second free practice session. The Stewards decided that Alonso’s actions were “unnecessary, unacceptable and dangerous”, and awarded him a one second time penalty to be applied to his fastest lap time in each of the qualifying sessions.<ref name="twosecspenalty">{{cite news |url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4761/763.html |title = Alonso receives qualifying penalties |publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website |date = 2006-08-04 |accessdate = 2007-01-16}}</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
* After a separate incident from the same race, when [[Michael Schumacher]] was asked whether he thought Alonso slowed down on purpose so that Schumacher had to pass him under red flags in practice Schumacher replied, "You said that, I didn't."<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.f1racing.net/en/news/2006/08/05/schumi_hints_at_foul_play/ |title = Schumi hints at foul play |publisher = F1racing.net |date = 2006-08-05 |accessdate = 2007-01-16}}</ref>
 
−
 
 
−
* In the [[2006 Italian Grand Prix]], after stewards ruled Alonso had blocked [[Felipe Massa]] in Saturday qualifying and relegated him five places on the starting grid, Alonso stated "I love the sport, love the fans coming here - a lot of them from Spain but I don't consider Formula One like a sport any more".<ref name="notasport">{{cite news |url = http://www.f1racing.net/en/news/2006/09/10/fuming_alonso_says_f1_is_no_longer_a_sport/ |title = Fuming Alonso says F1 is no longer a sport |publisher = F1racing.net |date = 2006-09-10 |accessdate = 2007-01-16}}</ref>
 
  
 
==Complete Formula One results==
 
==Complete Formula One results==
−
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
+
Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position:<br/>
 
<div style="float:left;">
 
<div style="float:left;">
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
 
! Year
 
! Year
−
! Entrant
+
! Team
−
! Chassis
 
−
! Engine
 
 
! 1
 
! 1
 
! 2
 
! 2
Line 154: Line 135:
 
! 18
 
! 18
 
! 19
 
! 19
 +
! Team
 
! WDC
 
! WDC
 
! Points
 
! Points
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2001 Formula One season|2001]]
 
| [[2001 Formula One season|2001]]
−
! [[European Aviation Air Charter|European]] [[Minardi]]
+
! [[Minardi]]
−
! [[Minardi]] [[Minardi PS01|PS01]]
 
−
! [[European Aviation Air Charter|European]] ([[Cosworth]]) 3.0 [[V10 engine|V10]]
 
 
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>12</small>
 
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>12</small>
−
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]<br /><small>13</small>
+
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 Malaysian Grand Prix|MYS]]<br /><small>13</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
Line 180: Line 160:
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
−
|| '''23rd'''
+
! [[Minardi]]
−
|| '''0'''
+
! N/A
 +
! 0
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2003 Formula One season|2003]]
 
| [[2003 Formula One season|2003]]
−
! [[Mild Seven]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
+
! [[Renault F1|Renault]]
−
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] [[Renault R23|R23]]
 
−
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] RS23 3.0 [[V10 engine|V10]]
 
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>7</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>7</small>
−
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix|'''MAL''']]<br /><small>3</small>
+
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix|'''MYS''']]<br /><small>3</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2003 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>3</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2003 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>3</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>6</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>6</small>
Line 194: Line 173:
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2003 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2003 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>5</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>5</small>
−
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| ''[[2003 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]''<br /><small>4</small>
+
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2003 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2003 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
Line 206: Line 185:
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
−
|| '''6th'''
+
! [[Renault F1|Renault]]
−
|| '''55'''
+
! 6th
 +
! 55
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2004 Formula One season|2004]]
 
| [[2004 Formula One season|2004]]
−
! [[Mild Seven]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
+
! [[Renault F1|Renault]]
−
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] [[Renault R24|R24]]
 
−
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] RS24 3.0 [[V10 engine|V10]]
 
 
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2004 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>3</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2004 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>3</small>
−
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]<br /><small>7</small>
+
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Malaysian Grand Prix|MYS]]<br /><small>7</small>
−
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Bahrain Grand Prix|BHR]]<br /><small>6</small>
+
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Bahrain Grand Prix|BAH]]<br /><small>6</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>4</small>
Line 222: Line 200:
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2004 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2004 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2004 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2004 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
−
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| ''[[2004 French Grand Prix|'''FRA''']]''<br /><small>2</small>
+
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2004 French Grand Prix|'''FRA''']]<br /><small>2</small>
 
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2004 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>10</small>
 
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2004 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>10</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2004 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>3</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2004 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>3</small>
Line 232: Line 210:
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|
 
|
−
|| '''4th'''
+
! [[Renault F1|Renault]]
−
|| '''59'''
+
! 4th
 +
! 59
 
|-
 
|-
 
| [[2005 Formula One season|2005]]
 
| [[2005 Formula One season|2005]]
−
! [[Mild Seven]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
+
! [[Renault F1|Renault]]
−
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] [[Renault R25|R25]]
+
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2005 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>3</small>
−
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] RS25 3.0 [[V10 engine|V10]]
+
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 Malaysian Grand Prix|'''MYS''']]<br /><small>1</small>
−
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| ''[[2005 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]''<br /><small>3</small>
+
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 Bahrain Grand Prix|'''BAH''']]<br /><small>1</small>
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 Malaysian Grand Prix|'''MAL''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 Bahrain Grand Prix|'''BHR''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2005 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>2</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2005 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>2</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2005 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>4</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2005 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>4</small>
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| ''[[2005 European Grand Prix|EUR]]''<br /><small>1</small>
+
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2005 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2005 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"| [[2005 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>DNS</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"| [[2005 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>DNS</small>
Line 258: Line 235:
 
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2005 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small>3</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2005 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small>3</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 Chinese Grand Prix|'''CHN''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 Chinese Grand Prix|'''CHN''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 +
! [[Renault F1|Renault]]
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| '''1st'''
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| '''1st'''
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| '''133'''
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| '''133'''
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[2006 Formula One season|2006]]
+
| [[2006 Formula One Season|2006]]
−
! [[Mild Seven]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
+
! [[Renault F1|Renault]]
−
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] [[Renault R26|R26]]
+
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Bahrain Grand Prix|BAH]]<br /><small>1</small>
−
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] RS26 2.4 [[V8 engine|V8]]
+
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 Malaysian Grand Prix|MYS]]<br /><small>2</small>
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Bahrain Grand Prix|BHR]]<br /><small>1</small>
 
−
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| ''[[2006 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]''<br /><small>2</small>
 
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>1</small>
−
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| ''[[2006 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]''<br /><small>2</small>
+
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>2</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 European Grand Prix|'''EUR''']]<br /><small>2</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 European Grand Prix|'''EUR''']]<br /><small>2</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Spanish Grand Prix|'''ESP''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Spanish Grand Prix|'''ESP''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Monaco Grand Prix|'''MON''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Monaco Grand Prix|'''MON''']]<br /><small>1</small>
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| ''[[2006 British Grand Prix|'''GBR''']]''<br /><small>1</small>
+
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 British Grand Prix|'''GBR''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Canadian Grand Prix|'''CAN''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 Canadian Grand Prix|'''CAN''']]<br /><small>1</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2006 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>5</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2006 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>5</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>2</small>
 
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>2</small>
−
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2006 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>5</small>
+
| [[2006 German Grand Prix|GER]]
−
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[2006 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
| [[2006 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]
−
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 Turkish Grand Prix|TUR]]<br /><small>2</small>
+
| [[2006 Turkish Grand Prix|TUR]]
−
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[2006 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
| [[2006 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]
−
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| '''''[[2006 Chinese Grand Prix|CHN]]'''''<br /><small>2</small>
+
| [[2006 Chinese Grand Prix|CHN]]
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| ''[[2006 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]''<br /><small>1</small>
+
| [[2006 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]
−
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>2</small>
+
| [[2006 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]
−
|
 
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''1st'''
 
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"|'''134'''
 
−
|-
 
−
| [[2007 Formula One season|2007]]
 
−
! [[Vodafone]] [[McLaren]] [[Mercedes-Benz Motorsport|Mercedes]]
 
−
! [[McLaren]] [[McLaren MP4-22|MP4-22]]
 
−
! [[Mercedes-Benz Motorsport|Mercedes]] FO 108T 2.4 [[V8 engine|V8]]
 
−
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2007 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>2</small>
 
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2007 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]<br /><small>1</small>
 
−
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2007 Bahrain Grand Prix|BHR]]<br /><small>5</small>
 
−
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2007 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>3</small>
 
−
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| '''''[[2007 Monaco Grand Prix|'''MON''']]'''''<br /><small>1</small>
 
−
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| ''[[2007 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]''<br /><small>7</small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 Turkish Grand Prix|TUR]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 Chinese Grand Prix|CHN]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|bgcolor=""| [[2007 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small></small>
 
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|
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| align="center" bgcolor="DFDFDF"| '''2nd*'''
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! [[Renault F1|Renault]]
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| align="center" bgcolor="DFDFDF"| '''40*'''
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! 1st*
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! 96*
 
|}
 
|}
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''*''Season in progress.
 
  
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==References==
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'''*''' Denotes present season standing
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<div class="references-small">
 
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<references/>
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
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<div style="float:left;">{{Template:F1 driver results legend}}</div>
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== See also ==
 
== See also ==
 
{{commons|Fernando Alonso}}
 
{{commons|Fernando Alonso}}
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{{wikiquote}}
 
 
* [[List of Formula One drivers]]
 
* [[List of Formula One drivers]]
 
* [[List of Spaniards]]
 
* [[List of Spaniards]]
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== External links ==
 
== External links ==
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* [http://www.fernandoalonso.com/ The official site for Fernando Alonso]
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* [http://www.fernandoalonso.com/DEFAULT2_i.cfm?seccion=0 The official site for Fernando Alonso]
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* [http://www.f1db.com/f1/page/Fernando_Alonso Fernando Alonso profile and statistics]
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* [http://www.4mula1.ro/history/driver/Fernando_Alonso Fernando Alonso statistics]
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{{start box}}
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* [http://www.manipef1.com/drivers/2006/falonso.php Fernando Alonso statistics and profile]
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{{s-sports}}
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* [http://www.fernandoalonso.as Fernando Alonso, photos, statistics and profile (in Spanish)]
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{{succession box|title=[[World Series by Renault|Euro Open Movistar by Nissan Champion]]|before=[[Marc Gené]]|after=[[Antonio García (driver)|Antonio García]]|years=1999}}
 
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{{incumbent succession box|title=[[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Formula One World Champion]] |before=[[Michael Schumacher]]|start=2005}}
 
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{{s-awards}}
 
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{{succession box|title=[[Prince of Asturias Awards|Prince of Asturias Award]] (Sports)|before=[[Hicham El Guerrouj]]|after=[[Spain national basketball team]]|years=2005}}
 
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{{succession box|before=[[Kimi Räikkönen]]|title=[[Lorenzo Bandini]] Trophy|years=2005|after=[[Mark Webber]]}}
 
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{{s-record}}
 
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{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One records#Youngest Pole Position Winners|Youngest Grand Prix Pole Position<br>Winner]]| before = [[Rubens Barrichello]] | after = [[Incumbent]] | years = 2003-Present}}
 
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{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One records#Youngest Winners|Youngest Grand Prix Race<br>Winner]]| before = [[Troy Ruttman]] | after = [[Incumbent]] | years = 2003-Present}}
 
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{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions#Youngest Drivers' Champion|Youngest Formula One World<br>Drivers' Champion]]| before = [[Emerson Fittipaldi]] | after = [[Incumbent]] | years = 2005-Present}}
 
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{{end box}}
 
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{{Formula One World Drivers' Champions}}
 
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{{Formula One teams}}
 
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{{McLaren F1}}
 
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alonso, Fernando}}
 
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[[Category:Spanish racecar drivers]]
 
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[[Category:Spanish Formula One drivers]]
 
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[[Category:Minardi Formula One drivers]]
 
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[[Category:Asturian people]]
 
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[[Category:1981 births]]
 
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[[Category:Living people]]
 
  
  

Revision as of 18:43, 12 June 2007

Template:F1 driver

Fernando Alonso Díaz (born on July 29, 1981 in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain) is a Formula One racing driver, currently living in Oxford. On September 25 2005 he won the World Driver's Championship title at the age of 24 years and 59 days, thus breaking Emerson Fittipaldi's record of being the youngest F1 champion, and ending Michael Schumacher's run of five consecutive championships.

Alonso was often tipped to be Schumacher's natural successor, sharing some of his attributes. He is one of the drivers capable of being on the pace every lap in a race and having the ability of driving around problems while losing minimal lap time. He was nicknamed "Magic Alonso" by a Telecinco commentator (a nickname that later became the title of a song by Melendi).

Early years

Born Fernando Alonso Díaz (his full name includes his mother's maiden name as is Spanish custom) on July 29, 1981, in Oviedo, in the Asturias province of northern Spain. His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as an explosives expert in the mining industry. The Alonsos and their two children, older sister Lorena and Fernando, lived comfortably but were by no means a wealthy family. Fernando’s father José Luis, an amateur kart racer, wished to pass on his passion to his children. He built a pedal kart mimicking an F1 car. Originally the kart was meant for eight-year-old Lorena but she showed no interest in the sport, as opposed to her three-year-old brother, who was eager to have a go. His parents said he showed a competitive spirit at that young age.

From then on the youngster and his father, who also doubled as his mechanic, competed in karting competitions around Spain. While his entire family fully supported Fernando’s increasingly successful hobby, his progress would require more funding than his family’s resources could provide. It was difficult to acquire sponsorships and Fernando knew the only way to get the financial backings was to win races, as he did with success. Alonso won in many races he entered. Age was never a hindrance as he easily won three Spanish Karting Titles (1994, 1996 and 1997). He raced in the European Karting Championship, placing second, and by his mid teens he was the world junior karting champion in 1996.

In 1999, Alonso made the jump to open-wheel cars, racing the Spanish Euro Open MoviStar by Nissan (his first and last season in the series) with the help of former Minardi F1 driver Adrián Campos. Then only 18 years old, he became the series champion, immediately earning him a ticket to Formula 3000 in 2000. A win at the Spa-Francorchamps highlighted a very solid fourth place in the drivers championship, and Alonso was off for Formula One in 2001.

Minardi

File:Fernando alonso.jpg
Alonso

2001

Alonso was the third-youngest driver to start a F1 race when he made his debut with Minardi at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. The car was not highly competitive during his rookie season, and Alonso failed to score a championship point. However, in the races he finished without mechanical problems, he was usually ahead of his team mate, and sometimes ahead of technically superior cars.

Renault F1

2002-2003

His driving talents earned him a spot with the newly-founded Renault team in 2002 as a test driver (run by his manager, Flavio Briatore); the team groomed him to be a regular driver in 2003. With a much better car than in his first F1 stint and in only his second race for Renault, Alonso became the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One pole position at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix; he also became the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One race at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. At season's end, he was sixth in the championship, with 55 points and four podiums. This was below his team's expectations.Template:Fact

Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault Formula One team at the 2004 US Grand Prix

2004

Alonso remained with Renault for the 2004 season but the difficult-to-drive R24 kept him out of the winner's circle. In the early part of 2004, though, questions were asked of Alonso when he was comprehensively out-qualified and out-raced by teammate Jarno Trulli. The situation would change towards the end of the year when Trulli suffered a mysterious lack of form after dropping Renault boss Flavio Briatore as his manager. Trulli's relationship with the team deteriorated to the extent that he signed for Toyota from 2005 onwards, and even left for his new team for the final 3 races of 2004. Though he had no wins, Alonso ended the year a career-best fourth in the championship standings, scoring 59 points and four podiums.

2005

For the 2005 championship season, he was joined by Italian Giancarlo Fisichella. He finished third in the first race in Australia. In the second race of the season in Malaysia he got pole position and easily won the race. Alonso repeated this form in the season's third race, winning the Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position, and continued his good form with a close win over Michael Schumacher in the San Marino Grand Prix after an epic battle with the 7-time World Champion lasting about 13 laps. While he did not win his home grand prix he set the mark for the rest of the season, driving consistently to finish second after Kimi Räikkönen.

McLaren's improving form saw Räikkönen win again at Monaco while Alonso suffered from high tyre wear, though finishing fourth. One of the most memorable moments of the 2005 season was Räikkönen's spectacular exit from the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, granting the win to Alonso.

Alonso's run of good results came to an end at the Canadian Grand Prix, when he made a mistake and crashed into the wall at the Villeneuve corner, damaging his suspension, after coming under pressure from the McLarens of Juan Pablo Montoya and Räikkönen. It was his first retirement of the year.

At the United States Grand Prix, due to safety concerns over the Michelin tyres, Alonso, along with all the other Michelin drivers, did not start.

Alonso took his third pole position of the season at the French Grand Prix, and led the race from start to finish, winning his fifth race of the season. He followed this with pole position a week later at the British Grand Prix, where he finished a conservative second behind a McLaren-Mercedes, as colombian Juan Pablo Montoya took his first victory of the season.

McLaren's poor reliability granted another win to Alonso at the German Grand Prix when Kimi Räikkönen's car suffered a hydraulic failure. Alonso then celebrated his 24th birthday two days before the Hungarian Grand Prix but qualified only 6th and finished 11th and out of the points after a collision with the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher that partly damaged his car.

At the Turkish Grand Prix Alonso took 2nd place from Juan Pablo Montoya after the Colombian collided with Tiago Monteiro in the closing stages of the race. At Monza, Alonso qualified third and drove consistently to finish second behind Montoya.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Alonso finished second and struggled with a car which was extremely difficult to drive due to a less than ideal set-up for the track conditions. He again made up a place in the closing stages after Antônio Pizzonia crashed into Montoya.

The Spaniard qualified on pole, but finished 3rd in the Brazilian Grand Prix to clinch the Driver's Championship title at the age of 24 years and 59 days old, thus breaking Emerson Fittipaldi's record of being the youngest F1 champion in history by about 18 months, and ending the 5-year dominance of Michael Schumacher. He had led the championship from the second race of the season. Commenting on his victory, he said:

"I just want to dedicate this championship to my family, and all my close friends who have supported me through my career. Spain is not a country with an F1 culture, and we had to fight alone, every step of the way, to make this happen. A huge thank-you should also go to the team as well - they are the best in Formula One, and we have done this together. It will say that I am world champion, but we are all champions - and they deserve this."

The Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix saw Alonso and Renault abandon the conservative style evident in Brazil when he was still chasing the championship title and Renault closed the performance gap considerably. Jordan's commercial director Ian Phillips described Alonso's overtaking manoeuvre around Schumacher at Suzuka as “one of the best of all time at this grandiose circuit”. Starting from 16th on the grid, he eventually finished third behind race-winner Räikkönen, who started from 17th on the grid and clinched victory with a last-lap pass on Fisichella, and his team mate. The Chinese Grand Prix saw Renault and Alonso win to claim the 1st Constructor’s Championship for the Renault F1 team.

Proponents of Kimi Räikkönen argue that he has been the best driver of the 2005 season despite having the same number of victories (seven) as the Spaniard. Without the reliability issues Räikkönen might have won the Drivers' Championship. However most commentators agree that Alonso fully deserves the title, dominating the early part of the season while McLaren struggled and driving consistently since then to capitalise on Räikkönen's problems.

2006

File:Fernando Alonso helmet.jpg
Fernando Alonso's 2006 helmet design

Alonso's season started with a close win over Michael Schumacher at the Bahrain Grand Prix, overtaking the German after coming out of the pitlane with 18 laps left. He had qualified fourth but was able to win after overtaking Massa and edging Schumacher out after his last pit stop.

He qualified a disappointing seventh at the Malaysian Grand Prix due to a fueling error but was able to finish second to team mate Giancarlo Fisichella after an excellent start, overtaking four cars, and with a better race pace than Jenson Button.

Fernando beat Kimi Räikkönen to victory in Australia after overtaking leader Jenson Button's Honda.

After poor qualifying (by their past standards) for both Renaults at San Marino, Alonso was unable to pass Michael Schumacher for the majority of the race, partly due to the track's lack of overtaking opportunities and partly due to Schumacher's defensive driving in a Ferrari which appeared considerably faster on the straights. Renault attempted to pre-empt Ferrari with an early pitstop but a clear in-lap for Schumacher, who counter-attacked by pitting early in the next lap, coupled with traffic for Alonso's out-lap, allowed Schumacher to leave the pit lane seconds before Alonso could pass him. Later, Alonso considered the early pitstop a tactical mistake. Schumacher won to reverse the positions of the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix.

Alonso won pole ahead of Schumacher for the 2006 European Grand Prix. It was thought he qualified with less fuel than in previous grands prix but this was not the case, as the Spaniard pitted only two laps ahead of Schumacher in the first stint. However, in the second stint Schumacher pitted several laps later and emerged 5.5 seconds ahead of Alonso. Those positions remained until the end of the race, with Felipe Massa finishing third and Kimi Räikkönen fourth, both just behind Alonso, as Räikkönen had been pressuring Massa in the final laps and appeared faster.

On May 14, 2006, Alonso dominated to win the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix, the first Spaniard to win his home grand prix.

He achieved his 12th victory and 12th pole position in the Monaco Grand Prix, the latter several hours after the qualifying session had concluded. Schumacher was sanctioned by the stewards for "deliberately stopping his car on the circuit in the last few minutes of qualifying", denying his rivals, Alonso included, the opportunity of recording fastest qualifying lap. During the race, Alonso was mainly threatened by Kimi Räikkönen, who ran close to him for much of the race, and Mark Webber, who looked set to challenge for the lead in the next round of pit stops. Both suffered mechanical problems and withdrew, allowing Fernando Alonso to cruise to his first victory at Monaco.

Alonso dominated the British Grand Prix from the Saturday qualifying session to the end of the race on Sunday. It was the first time Alonso achieved pole position, victory and fastest lap in a grand prix. Schumacher and Räikkönen joined him on the podium.

The 2006 Canadian Grand Prix was a new victory for him, and his fifth pole position in a row. Michael Schumacher finished second after taking advantage of a late error by Kimi Räikkönen, who finished third, and a safety car period that allowed both of them to reduce the gap to the driver ahead.

His run of good results ended at the United States Grand Prix, when he qualified fifth and finished the race in that position. Ferrari were superior all weekend and Michael Schumacher won the race, followed by his teammate Felipe Massa, and Giancarlo Fisichella. This meant Alonso's advantage over Schumacher in the championship was reduced from 25 points to 19. Schumacher won the French Grand Prix too, with Alonso finishing second and losing 2 more advantage points. It had been suggested Michelin (tyre suppliers for Renault) had been too conservative at the United States Grand Prix. However, the French Grand Prix showed Bridgestone (tyre suppliers for Ferrari) were competitive in general, and had improved the quality of their tyres.

During the 2006 season he was seen performing some sort of animal movements after his victories. When asked about them, he said "It’s a secret. It’s not an animal, either."[1], indicating it was some kind of inside joke or bet with his friends or family. Some journalists have observed there's a similarity between those movements and some film scenes from Hulk and The Grinch.

McLaren

2007

On December 19, 2005, Fernando Alonso and McLaren principal Ron Dennis announced that Fernando would be moving to McLaren for 2007. For some, this immediately put some doubt on whether he would perform well with Renault in 2006, given that they might not throw their full support behind a driver who they knew was going to leave them at the end of the season. Others saw it as a sign that Renault was pulling out of Formula 1 at the end of 2006. However, Alonso's overall performance, and Carlos Ghosn's announcement that Renault would stay committed to Formula 1 beyond the end of 2006 put an end to those rumours.

Laurels

He has been awarded the 2005 Prince of Asturias Award of Sports, the youngest to receive the prize.

Also, before the closing of the 2005 season, retired three-times F1 title holder Niki Lauda, hailed Alonso as:

"perfect, the most complete performer in Formula One today and thoroughly deserving of becoming the 2005 world champion. Yet I also have to say that Alonso is extraordinary. The more pressure he has the better he drives. I've never seen any driver of that age so completely composed and consistent. OK, so he made one slip at Montreal [when he hit the wall] but, speaking for myself, I reckon that I would have made many more mistakes if I'd been in that position at that age. I cannot find a single weakness in Alonso from any viewpoint. He's obviously a huge asset to the Renault team but more importantly a huge asset to the sport as a whole. I think he is perfect."

While he was managing the Brazilian team in the inaugural race of the A1 Grand Prix at Brand's Hatch, Emerson Fittipaldi was asked to comment on his feelings about possibly losing the record to Alonso, to which he replied, "In him [Alonso], I know that my record is in safe hands."

Complete Formula One results

Races in bold indicate pole position:

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Team WDC Points
2001 Minardi AUS
12 		MYS
13 		BRA
Ret 		SMR
Ret 		ESP
13 		AUT
Ret 		MON
Ret 		CAN
Ret 		EUR
14 		FRA
17 		GBR
16 		GER
10 		HUN
Ret 		BEL
Ret 		ITA
13 		USA
Ret 		JPN
11 		Minardi N/A 0
2003 Renault AUS
7 		MYS
3 		BRA
3 		SMR
6 		ESP
2 		AUT
Ret 		MON
5 		CAN
4 		EUR
4 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
Ret 		GER
4 		HUN
1 		ITA
8 		USA
Ret 		JPN
Ret 		Renault 6th 55
2004 Renault AUS
3 		MYS
7 		BAH
6 		SMR
4 		ESP
4 		MON
Ret 		EUR
5 		CAN
Ret 		USA
Ret 		FRA
2 		GBR
10 		GER
3 		HUN
3 		BEL
Ret 		ITA
Ret 		CHN
4 		JPN
5 		BRA
4 		Renault 4th 59
2005 Renault AUS
3 		MYS
1 		BAH
1 		SMR
1 		ESP
2 		MON
4 		EUR
1 		CAN
Ret 		USA
DNS 		FRA
1 		GBR
2 		GER
1 		HUN
11 		TUR
2 		ITA
2 		BEL
2 		BRA
3 		JPN
3 		CHN
1 		Renault 1st 133
2006 Renault BAH
1 		MYS
2 		AUS
1 		SMR
2 		EUR
2 		ESP
1 		MON
1 		GBR
1 		CAN
1 		USA
5 		FRA
2 		GER HUN TUR ITA CHN JPN BRA Renault 1st* 96*

* Denotes present season standing

Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green Finished, in points
Blue Finished, no points
Purple Did not finish (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Blank Did not participate
Blank Injured (INJ)
Blank Excluded (EX)


See also

Template:Commons

External links


Template:Formula One teams

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