Joan Fitzalan, Countess of Hereford and Fernando Alonso: Difference between pages

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{{about|the race car driver|the Cuban ballet dancer|Fernando Alonso (dancer)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzalan, Joan}}
{{Lifetime|1340s|1419}}
[[Category:People from Sussex]]
[[Category:Countesses]]


{{Infobox F1 driver
'''Joan Fitzalan''', Countess of Hereford, Essex, and [[Northampton]] (1347/1348- 7 April 1419), was the wife of [[Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford]], 6th Earl of Essex, and 2nd Earl of Northampton. Joan was the mother of [[Mary de Bohun]], the first wife of Henry of Bolingbroke who later reigned as King [[Henry IV of England]], and [[Eleanor de Bohun]], Duchess of Gloucester.
| Name = Fernando Alonso
[[Image:Eleanor, Countess of Arundel.jpg|thumb|right|Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancaster, parents of Joan Fitzalan]]
| Image = Fernando Alonso 2008.jpg
| Caption = Alonso at the [[2008 Canadian Grand Prix]]
| Nationality = {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Spain|Spanish]]
| Car number = 5 |
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|07|29}}
| birth_place = {{flagicon|ESP}}[[Oviedo]] [[Spain]]
| Team = [[Renault F1|Renault]]
| Team for 2008 = [[ING Group|ING]] Renault F1
| Races = 120 (119 starts)
| Championships = 2 ([[2005 Formula One season|2005]], [[2006 Formula One season|2006]])
| Wins = 20
| Podiums = 50
| Poles = 17
| Fastest laps = 11
| First race = [[2001 Australian Grand Prix]]
| First win = [[2003 Hungarian Grand Prix]]
| Last win = [[2008 Singapore Grand Prix]]
| Last race = [[2008 Singapore Grand Prix]]
| Last season = 2007
| Last position = 3rd (109 pts)
| Points = 528
}}
'''Fernando Alonso Díaz''' (born [[July 29]], [[1981]] in [[Oviedo]], [[Spain]]) is a [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Formula One]] racing driver and a two-time World Champion.


<!--Reputed for being an aggressive driver, he is also one of the best Wet weather Racers as well.
== Family ==
Joan was born c.1347/1348 at [[Arundel Castle]], [[Sussex]], one of seven children, and the eldest daughter of [[Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel]] and his second wife [[Eleanor of Lancaster]].<ref>Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Earls of Arundel (1289-1580) Fitzalan</ref> Her paternal grandparents were [[Edmund Fitzalan, 9th Earl of Arundel]] and [[Alice de Warenne]]. Her maternal grandparents were [[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster]] and [[Maud Chaworth]].


(CANCELLED OUT. Who exactly calls him that? Ref?
[[Image:Arundel Castle Hill Fort.JPG|thumb|right|Arundel Castle, the birthplace of Joan Fitzalan and her siblings]]


-->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. After retaining the title the following year, Alonso also became the youngest double Champion. In 2007, he became the second F1 driver, after [[Michael Schumacher]], to score at least 100 points for three consecutive seasons. Nicknamed {{lang|es|''El Nano''}}, Alonso acts as a Goodwill Ambassador for [[UNICEF]]<ref>{{ cite web | title = {{lang|es|La Nueva España :: Galería}} | publisher = {{lang|es|La Nueva España}} | date = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 | url = http://mas.lne.es/galeria/galeria.php?foto=2958 }}</ref> and is one of the directors of the [[Grand Prix Drivers' Association]].
== List of siblings ==
# [[Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel]] (1346- 21 September 1397 Tower Hill, Cheapside, London), married firstly [[Elizabeth de Bohun]], sister of Humphrey de Bohun, by whom he had seven children, and secondly Philippa Mortimer. He was beheaded on charges of high treason against King [[Richard II]].
# [[John Fitzalan]] 1st baron of Arundel, 1st Baron Maltravers (1351-16 December 1379), married Eleanor Maltravers, by whom he had issue. He drowned in the Irish Sea, having been shipwrecked after defeating the French off the Cornish coast.
# Alice Fitzalan (1352- 17 March 1416), married [[Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent]], by whom she had issue.
# [[Thomas Arundel (archbishop)|Thomas Arundel]] [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] (1352- 19 February 1414)
# Mary Fitzalan (died 29 August 1396), married John Le Strange, 4th Baron Strange of Blackmere, by whom she had issue, including Ankaret Le Strange who married Richard Talbot, 4th Baron Talbot. These were the parents of [[John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury]]
# Eleanor Fitzalan (1356- before 1366)
Joan had a half-brother from her father's first marriage to [[Isabel le Despenser]]:
# Edmund of Arundel (1327- after 1377), he was bastardised by his parents annullment. He married Sybil Montagu, by whom he had two daughters.
Joan had two uterine half-siblings from her mother's first marriage to John de Beaumont, 2nd Lord Beaumont (died 14 April 1342):
# Henry de Beaumont, 3rd Lord Beaumont (4 April 1340- 17 June 1369)
# Matilda de Beaumont (died July 1367), married Hugh de Courtney.


== Marriage and children ==
== Personal and early life ==
Fernando Alonso was born in [[Oviedo]], [[Asturias]] in northern [[Spain]]. His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as a mechanic in an explosives factory near Oviedo.<ref name="urruty">{{cite news | last = Urruty | first = Martín | title = {{lang|es|De plebeyo a rey. Cómo llegó Alonso a ser el campeón más joven de la historia}} | language = Spanish | publisher = {{lang|es|ESPNdeportes}} | date = 2005-11-26 | url = http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=367490 | accessdate = 2007-07-30 }}</ref>
Sometime after 9 September 1359, Joan married Humphrey de Bohun, one of the most powerful noblemen in the kingdom. His titles included 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex, 2nd Earl of Northampton, and he was the hereditary [[Constable]] of England.
Alonso has an older sister, Lorena. Alonso's father José Luis, an amateur kart racer, wanted to pass on his passion to his children. He built a kart, originally meant for eight-year-old Lorena, but unlike her three-year-old brother, she showed no interest in the sport.<ref name="urruty"/>
He was the son of [[William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton]] and [[Elizabeth de Badlesmere]]. The marriage produced two daughters, whom upon the death of their father, divided his vast estates between them:
# [[Eleanor de Bohun]] (c.1360- 3 October 1399), co-heiress of her father. In 1376 she married [[Thomas of Woodstock]], 1st Duke of Gloucester, the youngest son of King [[Edward III]] and [[Philippa of Hainault]]. The marriage produced five children, including [[Anne of Gloucester]]. Eleanor died as a nun at Barking Abbey.
# [[Mary de Bohun]] (1369- 4 June 1394), co-heiress of her father. On 27 July 1380 she married Henry of Bolingbroke, who would later be crowned King [[Henry IV]]. She died before he ascended the throne. The marriage produced six chidren including King [[Henry V]].
[[Image:Psalter of Mary de Bohun and Henry Bolingbroke 1380-85 Abigail.jpg|thumb|right|Psalter celebrating the marriage of Joan Fitzalan's daughter Mary de Bohun to Henry of Bolingbroke on 27 July 1380]]
[[Image:Henry V of England.jpg|thumb|right|King Henry V of England, grandson of Joan Fitzalan and Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford|King Henry V of England, grandson of Joan Fitzalan and Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford]]


Alonso is rumoured to be married to [[Raquel del Rosario]], lead singer of Spanish pop band {{lang|es|[[El Sueño de Morfeo]]}}.<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.formula1.com/gallery/other/2007/202.html | title = 2007 FIA Gala Awards Gallery | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | accessdate = 2007-12-16 }}</ref> The two apparently married in November 2006.<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>
== Death ==
Joan Fitzalan died on 7 April 1419 and was buried in [[Walden Abbey]] with her husband who had died in 1373.


He currently lives in [[Oxford]], [[England]], and owns a house in [[Mont-sur-Rolle]], near [[Lake Geneva]], [[Switzerland]].
== In fiction ==

Joan appears as a character in [[Georgette Heyer]]'s last book ''My Lord John'', which is set in the reign of King [[Henry IV]].
==Pre-Formula One==
As a child, Alonso participated in [[karting]] competitions around Spain, supported by his father, who also doubled as his mechanic. His family lacked the financial resources needed to develop a career in motorsport, but his victories attracted sponsorship and the required funds. Alonso won four Spanish championships back-to-back in the junior category, between 1993 and 1996 and the Junior World Cup in 1996. He won the Spanish and Italian Inter-A titles in 1997 and in 1998 won the Spanish Inter-A title again as well as finishing second in the European Championship.

Former [[Minardi]] F1 driver [[Adrián Campos]] gave Alonso his first test in a race car in October 1998. After three days of testing at the [[Albacete]] circuit, Alonso had matched the lap times of Campos' previous driver [[Marc Gené]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.f1db.com/f1/page/Fernando_Alonso |title=Fernando Alonso |accessdate=2007-09-13 |publisher=f1db.com}}</ref> Campos signed Alonso to race for him in the 1999 Spanish [[World Series by Nissan|Euro Open MoviStar by Nissan]] series.<ref name="alonsof1fbio"> {{cite web | title = Who's Who: Fernando Alonso | publisher = F1Fanatic.co.uk | year = 2006 | url = http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/f1-information/whos-who/whos-who-a/fernando-alonso/ | accessdate =2006-01-07}}</ref> In his second race, again at Albacete, Alonso won for the first time. He took the championship by one point from championship rival [[Manuel Giao]] by winning and setting fastest lap at the last race of the season. Alonso also tested for the [[Minardi]] [[Formula One]] team, lapping 1.5 seconds faster than the other drivers at the test.<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" /> 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" />

==Formula One==
===2001: Minardi===
{{seealso|Minardi}}
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 fast 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" />

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 competition 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>

In September, his manager [[Flavio Briatore]] had begun planning to place Alonso at Benetton. Briatore considered promoting Alonso for 2002, in place of his race driver [[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 &mdash; five places outside the points but ahead, on merit, of [[Heinz-Harald Frentzen]]’s [[Prost Grand Prix|Prost]] (with a [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] engine), the [[British American Racing|BAR]]-[[Honda Racing F1|Honda]] of [[Olivier Panis]], the two [[Arrows]] and [[Alex Yoong]] (his new team mate).<ref name="alonsof1fbio" /> Four years later, his team boss from the Minardi days, [[Paul Stoddart]], described his race as "53 laps of qualifying".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cooper |first=Steve |year=2007 |month=September |title=The hunter becomes the haunted |journal=Autosport |volume=189 |issue=10 |pages=p.39}}</ref> He scored no points in the season.

===2002&ndash;2006: Renault===
{{seealso|Renault F1}}

====2002&ndash;2003====
[[Image:Alonso usgp 2004 pits.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Alonso in 2004]]
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" />

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 the double yellow flags and [[Safety Car]] boards brought out by [[Mark Webber]]'s earlier crash and colliding with the debris.<ref>{{cite news| title =Fernando Alonso in for a ticking off| publisher =grandprix.com| url =http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns11011.html| date =[[2003-04-16]]| accessdate =2007-09-13}}</ref> The race was red-flagged. He finished second at his home grand prix two races later, and at the time 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.

====2004====
[[Image:Alonso US-GP 2004.jpg|right|300px|thumbnail|Fernando Alonso driving for the [[Renault F1|Renault]] Formula One team at the [[2004 United States Grand Prix]].]]

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 fourth in the championship standings, scoring 59 points and four podiums.

====2005====
For the {{f1|2005}} season, Alonso was joined at Renault by highly rated Italian driver [[Giancarlo Fisichella]]. At the first race in [[2005 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] Alonso started near the back due to rain in qualifying but fought his way to third. He won the next two races in [[2005 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysia]] and [[2005 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain ]] from pole position, and took a third win in the [[2005 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino Grand Prix]] after a 13-lap battle with [[Michael Schumacher]].

[[Team McLaren|McLaren]]'s improving form saw Räikkönen win in [[2005 Spanish Grand Prix|Spain]] and [[2005 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] while Alonso finished second and fourth, respectively. Räikkönen was on course to win the [[2005 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]] at the [[Nürburgring]] when his car's front-right suspension failed (due to a flat spot on the tyre caused by Räikkönen 'locking' it while passing Jacques Villeneuve) on the last lap, giving victory to Alonso.

[[Image:Alonso (Renault) qualifying at USGP 2005.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Alonso at the [[2005 United States Grand Prix]].]]
Alonso failed to score in the [[2005 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian]] and [[2005 United States Grand Prix|United States]] Grands Prix. He crashed out of the former, and in the latter all the [[Michelin]] runners withdrew due to safety concerns over their tyres.

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 hydraulic failure.

He qualified 6th in the [[2005 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian Grand Prix]] but finished 11th after a collision with the Toyota of [[Ralf Schumacher]].

As the season entered its final stages Alonso finished second in three consecutive races, collecting vital championship points. Räikkönen won in [[2005 Turkish Grand Prix|Turkey]] and [[2005 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgium]], but was fourth at [[2005 Italian Grand Prix|Monza]] after engine trouble in qualifying, meaning Alonso's lead had been reduced by only one point.

Alonso sealed the title by finishing third in [[2005 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] while Montoya won from Räikkönen. The Spaniard became the youngest Drivers' Champion at the age of 24 years and 59 days old, breaking [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]'s record. He also ended the 5-year dominance of Michael Schumacher.

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 &mdash; 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 &mdash; 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."

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 drivers' title. Starting from 16th on the grid, he eventually finished third behind Räikkönen and Fisichella. The Chinese Grand Prix saw Renault and Alonso win to claim the first Constructor’s Championship for the Renault F1 team.

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 | year = 2005 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 }}</ref>

====2006====
[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2006 Malaysia.jpg|thumb|Alonso at the [[2006 Malaysian Grand Prix]]]]
Alonso won the first race of the [[2006 Formula One season]] at [[2006 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain]], overtaking Michael Schumacher after coming out of the pit lane with 18 laps left, after starting fourth. He qualified seventh at the [[2006 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysian Grand Prix]] due to a fuelling error<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4125/752.html | title = Qualifying &mdash; 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 &mdash; selected driver quotes | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | date = 2006-03-19 | accessdate = 2007-01-22 }}</ref> but finished second to team mate Giancarlo Fisichella. He won the [[2006 Australian Grand Prix|Australian Grand Prix]] after overtaking leader [[Jenson Button]]'s Honda.

After poor qualifying at [[2006 San Marino Grand Prix|San Marino]], Alonso was unable to pass Michael Schumacher in an encounter that echoed their battle the previous year. Schumacher beat Alonso again in the [[2006 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]] after the Spaniard started on pole. But Alonso hit back, becoming the first Spaniard to win his home race on [[May 14]], [[2006]] in the [[2006 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]].

He took pole position for the [[2006 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco Grand Prix]] 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 | year = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4430/757.html }}</ref> Alonso won the race.

He extended his winning streak to four races with victories in [[2006 British Grand Prix|Britain]] and [[2006 Canadian Grand Prix|Canada]]. Both wins came from pole position, and the British round was his first win, pole and fastest lap treble.

[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2006 Canada.jpg|thumb|At the [[2006 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]], Alonso took his 6th victory of the year.]]

Schumacher's fight back began at [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway| Indianapolis]] where the German won and Alonso was fifth. Schumacher won the [[2006 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]], with Alonso in second, and the Spaniard was fifth in the [[2006 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]].<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> That cut Alonso's championship lead to 11 points.

Alonso incurred a penalty for an infraction in practice at the [[2006 Hungarian Grand Prix|Hungarian Grand Prix]] which left him 15th on the grid.<ref name="twosecspenalty" /> Schumacher started 11th after receiving a similar penalty.<ref>{{ cite web | title = Räikkonen steals pole in Hungary | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | url = http://www.formula1.com/race/news/4768/763.html | year = 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 five, as he showed prowess in the wet conditions. But he crashed out of the race when a wheel nut fell off his car following a pit stop. Schumacher scored one point after [[Robert Kubica]] was disqualified.<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2006/08/06/hungarian-grand-prix-2006-review/ | title = Hungarian Grand Prix 2006 review | publisher = F1Fanatic.co.uk | date = 2006-08-06 | accessdate = 2007-08-15 }}</ref>

Alonso finished second in [[2006 Turkish Grand Prix|Turkey]], holding back third-placed Schumacher to claim two vital points. But he lost a lot of ground after a controversial [[2006 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]]. He suffered a puncture during qualifying that damaged bodywork at the back of his car. He qualified fifth but was later punished<ref name="notasport" /> by the stewards for impeding [[Felipe Massa]]'s Ferrari,<ref>{{ cite web | title = Alonso punished for blocking Massa | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | year = 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 before an engine failure forced him to withdraw. Schumacher won the Grand Prix and cut Alonso's Championship lead to two points.

At the following round in [[2006 Chinese Grand Prix|China]], Alonso took pole position during a wet qualifying session but finished second to Schumacher in the race. The result tied Alonso and Schumacher on points in the drivers championship.

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. But during the race Alonso rose to second and took the win after Schumacher's engine failed. It gave him a ten point advantage over Schumacher, needing only one point from the final round to retain the title.

Second place in the [[2006 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] on [[October 22]] gave Alonso the championship. 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: McLaren===
{{seealso|McLaren}}

[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2007 2.jpg|thumb|right|Alonso at the [[2007 Malaysian Grand Prix]], his first victory for McLaren.]]
[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2007 Britain.jpg|thumb|right|Alonso finished second in the [[2007 British Grand Prix]].]]

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 | year = 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.<ref>{{ cite web | title = Jerez day four &mdash; Hamilton on form in Spain | publisher = The Official Formula 1 Website | year = 2006 | accessdate = 2007-01-17 | url = http://www.formula1.com/news/5422.html }}</ref> [[Lewis Hamilton]] was chosen as his partner for the season. McLaren were reported to be paying Alonso [[Pound sterling|£]]&nbsp;20&nbsp;million (approx $&nbsp;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]].

On [[8 April]] 2007 in his second race for the team, Alonso 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 collision with Felipe Massa which caused some damage to his car and dropped him to fourth. He finished the race third. On May 27, Alonso secured his second victory for McLaren 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. At the [[2007 European Grand Prix|Nürburgring]] he took his third win of the year in a dramatic race affected by intermittent rain showers, overtaking Ferrari's [[Felipe Massa]] for the lead with just four laps remaining. After the controversy at the [[2007 Hungarian Grand Prix]] (see below), however, relations between Alonso and his team declined. It was reported in the media that he was no longer on speaking terms with Hamilton,<ref>{{cite news| title =Hungarian GP &mdash; Alonso not speaking to Hamilton| publisher =uk.eurosport.yahoo.com| url =http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/06082007/58/hungarian-gp-alonso-speaking-hamilton.html| date =[[2007-08-06]]| accessdate =2007-08-06}}</ref> and it was speculated that he may leave McLaren at the end of the season.<ref>{{cite news| title =Alonso's future at McLaren in doubt| publisher =autosport.com| url =http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61422| date =[[2007-08-06]]| accessdate =2007-08-06}}</ref> On 7 August 2007 ''[[The Times]]'' reported that McLaren would let Alonso leave the team at the end of the season if he wished, two years earlier than his contract allowed.<ref>{{cite news |first= Edward | last=Gorman| title =McLaren may lose Alonso if he cannot work with Hamilton| work= The Times| publisher =Times Newspapers| url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article2211563.ece| date =[[2007-08-07]]| accessdate =2007-08-07}}</ref>.

As part of the [[2007 Formula One espionage controversy|espionage controversy]] between McLaren and Ferrari, the former were found guilty of breaching the Article 151c of the FIA's sporting regulations but went unpunished due to a lack of evidence. However, following the acquisition of new evidence by the FIA, a new hearing was held on [[September 13]]. The new evidence consisted largely of email traffic between Alonso and test driver [[Pedro de la Rosa]].<ref>{{cite news| title =Letter confirms drivers had new evidence | publisher =autosport.com| url =http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62097| date =[[2007-09-07]]| accessdate =2007-09-07}}</ref> The FIA's World Motor Sport Council report following the hearing stated that Alonso and de la Rosa had obtained and used confidential Ferrari technical data and sporting strategy information from senior McLaren engineer [[Mike Coughlan]] via Ferrari employee [[Nigel Stepney]], including during test sessions. Both drivers were spared sanctions in exchange for providing evidence.

On [[2 November]] 2007, after a turbulent year with McLaren, it was announced that McLaren and Alonso had mutually agreed to terminate his contract and that he would be free to join any team for 2008 without paying McLaren any compensation.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.mclaren.co.uk/mediaroom/information/pressreleases/alonso_release.php |title = Alonso Press Release |publisher = Vodafone McLaren Mercedes |date = 2007-11-02 |accessdate= 2007-11-02}}</ref>

===2008: Return to Renault===

[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2008 Valencia test.jpg|thumb|right|Alonso testing for [[Renault F1|Renault]] in January 2008.]]
[[Image:Fernando Alonso 2008 Belgium.jpg|thumb|right|Alonso driving for Renault at the [[2008 Belgian Grand Prix]].]]
[[Image:Singapore grand prix 2008 alonso win.jpg|thumb|right|Alonso took a surprise victory at the [[2008 Singapore Grand Prix]].]]

Alonso was linked with several teams for the 2008 season after his split with McLaren. Renault, Red Bull, Toyota and Honda were all suggested in the media. Renault's Flavio Briatore stated that he would welcome Alonso's return to the French team. On 10 December 2007, Alonso signed a two-year contract to drive for [[Renault F1]] alongside Brazilian driver [[Nelson Angelo Piquet]] for around £25 million.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/12/10/umsport110.xml Fernando Alonso to re-sign for Renault] www.telegraph.co.uk Retrieved 10 December 2007</ref><ref>[http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2007/12/10/renault-confirms-2008-driver-line-up-alonso-and-piquet/ Renault confirms 2008 driver line-up Alonso and Piquet] http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/ Retrieved 10 December 2007</ref>

In the first two rounds of the [[2008 Formula One season|2008 Season]], Alonso was not as competitive as he was used to being. He has come 4th and 8th in [[2008 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]] and [[2008 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysia]] respectively. After these two races, there were rumours that he could replace [[Felipe Massa]] at [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] in [[2009 Formula One season|2009]], especially in light of the general belief that there is an "out clause" in Fernando Alonso's contract with Renault which would give him the freedom to move to another team for the next season should he be able to secure a deal. However Ferrari president [[Luca di Montezemolo]] stated that Massa's seat in the team is secured and will stay that way until the end of his contract in 2010.{{Fact|date=April 2008}} [[Kimi Räikkönen]] has also been given a two-year contract extension to partner Massa until the end of 2010<ref>{{cite web | title = Ferrari confirm Raikkonen to end of 2010 | publisher = Formula1.com | date = 2008-09-12 | url = http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/9/8365.html | accessdate = 2008-09-14}}</ref>, essentially closing the door on Alonso for a possible move to Ferrari. Alonso too has denied this "out clause" rumour in 2008.

On [[6 April]] 2008, in the [[2008 Bahrain Grand Prix]], [[Lewis Hamilton]] ran into the back of Alonso's Renault, heavily damaging the rear wing of the Spaniard's car, as well as his own nosecone. Stewards did not seek to investigate the incident but critics alleged he braked (or didn't accelerate as expected) in front of Lewis Hamilton causing Hamilton to crash into him <ref>{{cite web | title = Massa wins as Ferrari dominates in desert | publisher = ITV | date = 2008-04-06 | url = http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=42246 | accessdate = 2008-04-06}}</ref>. Telemetric data from Alonso's car proved these accusations to be wrong <ref>{{cite web | title = Renault rubbish 'brake test' suggestions | publisher = Autosport | date = 2008-04-06 | url = http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/66448 | accessdate = 2008-04-06}}</ref>. Hamilton himself stated "I was behind him, and I moved to the right, and he moved to the right and that was it - a racing incident I guess"<ref>{{cite web | title = Bahrain Grand Prix - selected driver quotes | publisher = Formula1.com | date = 2008-04-06 | url = http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/4/7608.html | accessdate = 2008-04-06}}</ref>. It was later revealed by McLaren that Hamilton's front wing, which was damaged when he hit Alonso earlier in the race, had broken seconds before the impact and has been identified as the cause of the crash. Alonso started the [[Spanish Grand Prix|2008 Spanish Grand Prix]] with promising pace, qualifying on the front row in second place behind Kimi Räikkönen. Alonso was running in a solid fifth place when the Renault engine blew up with 31 laps to go in the 66 lap race.

Alonso qualified 7th for the [[2008 Monaco Grand Prix]]. He ran fourth early in the race, but dropped to 10th at the finish after two incidents - puncturing a tyre against the barrier and a collision with [[Nick Heidfeld]].

In the [[2008 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] Alonso qualified a promising fourth and was keeping up with the pace of the BMWs, who would eventually go on to record their maiden win with Robert Kubica after pitlane dramas plagued both Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes. However, with a heavy Heidfeld in front of him and the rest of the field having pitted for their final stops, Alonso was faced with having to pass Heidfeld or risk finishing outside the points entirely. On lap 45 Alonso put a wheel off-line, onto the marbles, which made him spin and crash into the wall at turn two.

In the [[2008 European Grand Prix|European Grand Prix]] ([[Valencia, Spain]]), Alonso performed strongly in all three practice sessions and the first round of qualifying. However, he failed to make it through the second round of qualifying. During the opening lap of the race, Alonso was hit by [[Kazuki Nakajima]] in the rear wing of his [[Renault R28|R28]] and sustained damage to his gearbox. His mechanics were unable to repair the problem and he was forced to retire from the race.

In the [[2008 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]] Alonso qualified sixth and ran in the top five for most of the race. When heavy rain fell towards the end of the race, he gambled on pitting for wet tyres with one lap to go. This dropped him from 4th to 8th, but a fast final lap saw him climb back to fourth - passing Kubica and [[Sebastien Vettel]] at the final corner.

In the [[2008 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]] Alonso qualified eight but managed to climb four places and finished fourth in the race. This was the second consecutive fourth place after the [[2008 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]]. Fourth place was the best result for Alonso in 2008 until his victory at Singapore.

Alonso claimed his first victory and podium of the season by winning the [[2008 Singapore Grand Prix]]. After performing strongly in practice, a fuel pressure problem in the second part of qualifying forced him to park the car, causing him to qualify 15th. In the race he started with a light fuel load on soft tyres, and pitted early when he realised that this would not be successful. However, a safety car period (caused by Piquet crashing) meant that he moved ahead of many drivers who had to pit, and allowed him to ultimately win the race. This was also his 50th podium and 20th win in his career.

===Records and achievements===
* Youngest [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Champion]]: 24 years, 59 days in {{F1|2005}}
* Youngest double World Champion: 25 years, 85 days in {{F1|2006}}
* Youngest driver and least number of races to score 500 points at the [[2008 French Grand Prix]]

* Second youngest driver to start from pole position: 21 years, 237 days at the [[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix]] (behind [[Sebastian Vettel]]: 21 years 74 days)

* Second youngest driver to score a podium finish: 21 years, 237 days at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix (behind Sebastian Vettel: 21 years 74 days)

* Second youngest winner: 22 years, 26 days at the [[2003 Hungarian Grand Prix]] (behind Sebastian Vettel: 21 years 74 days)
* Second youngest driver to set fastest lap: 21 years, 321 days at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix (behind [[Nico Rosberg]]: 20 years, 258 days)

* Second driver (after Michael Schumacher) to score 100 or more points for three consecutive seasons (in 2005, 2006 and 2007)

* Second highest number of podium positions in a season: 15 in 2005 (behind Michael Schumacher: 17 in 2002)

* Second highest number of consecutive podium positions: 15 in 2005-2006 (behind Michael Schumacher: 19 in 2001-2002)

* Third youngest driver to start from the front row of the grid: 21 years, 237 days at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix (behind [[Ricardo Rodríguez]]: 19 years, 208 days)

* Third highest points total in one season: 134 in 2006 (behind Michael Schumacher: 148 in 2004 and 144 in 2002)

* Third youngest to start a race at 19 years, 218 days at the [[2001 Australian Grand Prix]] (behind [[Mike Thackwell]]: 19 years, 182 days and Ricardo Rodríguez: 19 years, 208 days)

* Winner of the first F1 GP held at night ([[2008 Singapore Grand Prix]]).

* Winner of the 800th Grand Prix (2008 Singapore Grand Prix).

===Controversies===
* At the [[2003 European Grand Prix]], [[David Coulthard]] and [[McLaren]] managing director [[Martin Whitmarsh]] accused Alonso of giving Coulthard a [[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 brake tested [[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 potentially 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 &mdash; 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>
* During the aftermath of the [[2007 European Grand Prix]] Alonso accused [[Felipe Massa]] of trying to hit him off the track when he passed him around the outside of turn 5 in the wet. The two had a row in front of the cameras immediately before the podium proceedings. [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XWRvhA0YPgY&feature=related] Alonso and Massa later apologised.
* In the qualifying for the [[2007 Hungarian Grand Prix]], while both McLarens were in the pits, Alonso remained stationary in the McLaren pit for a few seconds. This delayed the then provisional pole sitter (and his team mate), [[Lewis Hamilton]] long enough to prevent him from getting another 'hot lap' in. Alonso then went on to claim pole.<ref>{{cite news| title =Hungarian Grand Prix 2007 &mdash; Qualifying| publisher =news.bbc.co.uk| url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6929333.stm| date = 2007-08-05 | accessdate =2007-08-06}}</ref> McLaren boss [[Ron Dennis]] later said the team had got "out of sequence" when Hamilton did not as agreed allow Alonso past earlier in the qualifying session. He added that Alonso was "under the control of his engineer" when he was waiting in the pit lane.<ref>{{cite news| title =Dennis: Hamilton triggered incident| publisher =autosport.com| url =http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61368| date = 2007-08-04| accessdate =2007-08-06}}</ref> However, Alonso was subsequently given a five-place grid penalty<ref>{{cite news| title =Alonso demoted to sixth in Hungary | publisher =autosport.com| url =http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/61370| date =2007-08-04| accessdate =2007-08-04}}</ref> and his McLaren team were docked the 15 constructors' World Championship points they would have earned in the race.<ref>{{cite web | title = Alonso punished for Hamilton move | publisher = British Broadcasting Corp. | date = 2007-08-04 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/6929333.stm | accessdate =2007-08-04}}</ref>
* As result of this investigation, it emerged that some people within McLaren, among them Alonso, were aware of confidential information belonging to the Ferrari team. This information was commented on to Alonso by McLaren test driver [[Pedro de la Rosa]] who had also received information from McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan. The email contained text suggesting that Alonso was surprised by the data and doubted its authenticity. According to the "[[2007 Formula One espionage controversy|spygate]]" related email exchanges between Alonso and de la Rosa, it was clear that Alonso knew about Ferrari's pit strategies in the Australian Grand Prix and Bahrain Grand Prix. Alonso finished 2nd and 5th respectively in those races.<ref>{{Citation | last = | first = | author-link = Autosport | title = Dennis tipped off FIA about evidence | date = 2007-09-14 | year = 2007 | url = http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62376 | accessdate = 2007-09-20 }}</ref> Ron Dennis told FIA about the case during the [[Hungaroring]] GP after alleging that Alonso threatened him to report the team to FIA himself if he wasn't given number one status within the McLaren team, while Alonso declared that false and asked FIA to show evidence of his innocence; FIA then revealed that it had had knowledge of the case thanks to a slip made by Coughlan.
<ref>{{Citation | last = Elizalde| first = Pablo| author-link = Autosport | title = Transcript highlights Dennis/Alonso row | date = 2007-09-19 | year = 2007 | url = http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62548 | accessdate = 2007-09-20 }}</ref>

==Racing record==
===Career summary===
{| border="2" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 0 1em 0 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
! Season
! Series
! Team Name
! Races
! Poles
! Wins
! Points
! Final Placing
|-
|align="center"| '''1999'''
| [[1999 Euro Open by Nissan season|Euro Open by Nissan]]
| [[Adrián Campos|Campos Motorsport]]
|align="center"| 15
|align="center"| 9
|align="center"| 6
|align="center"| 164
|align="center" bgcolor="#FBFFBF"| 1st
|-
|align="center"| '''2000'''
| [[2000 Formula 3000 season|International Formula 3000]]
| [[Team Astromega]]
|align="center"| 9
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 17
|align="center"| 4th
|-
|align="center"| '''2001'''
| [[2001 Formula One season|Formula One]]
| [[Minardi]]
|align="center"| 17
|align="center"| 0
|align="center"| 0
|align="center"| 0
|align="center"| 23rd
|-
|align="center"| '''2002'''
| [[2002 Formula One season|Formula One]]
| [[Renault F1|Renault]]
|align="center" colspan=5| Test driver
|-
|align="center"| '''2003'''
| [[2003 Formula One season|Formula One]]
| [[Renault F1|Renault]]
|align="center"| 16
|align="center"| 2
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 55
|align="center"| 6th
|-
|align="center"| '''2004'''
| [[2004 Formula One season|Formula One]]
| [[Renault F1|Renault]]
|align="center"| 18
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 0
|align="center"| 59
|align="center"| 4th
|-
|align="center"| '''2005'''
| [[2005 Formula One season|Formula One]]
| [[Renault F1|Renault]]
|align="center"| 19
|align="center"| 6
|align="center"| 7
|align="center"| 133
|align="center" bgcolor="#FBFFBF"| 1st
|-
|align="center"| '''2006'''
| [[2006 Formula One season|Formula One]]
| [[Renault F1|Renault]]
|align="center"| 18
|align="center"| 6
|align="center"| 7
|align="center"| 134
|align="center" bgcolor="#FBFFBF"| 1st
|-
|align="center"| '''2007'''
| [[2007 Formula One season|Formula One]]
| [[McLaren]]
|align="center"| 17
|align="center"| 2
|align="center"| 4
|align="center"| 109
|align="center" bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| 3rd
|-
|align="center"| '''2008'''
| [[2008 Formula One season|Formula One]]
| [[Renault F1|Renault]]
|align="center"| 15
|align="center"| 0
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 38*
|align="center"| 7th*
|}
:''<nowiki>*</nowiki> Season in Progress

===Complete Formula One results===
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! 16
! 17
! 18
! 19
! {{abbr|WDC|World Drivers' Championship}}
! Points
|-
| [[2001 Formula One season|2001]]
! [[European Aviation Air Charter|European]] [[Minardi F1 Team]]
! [[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 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]<br /><small>13</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="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>13</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>14</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>17</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>16</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>10</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>13</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2001 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2001 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small>11</small>
|
|
|| '''23rd'''
|| '''0'''
|-
| [[2003 Formula One season|2003]]
! [[Mild Seven]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
! [[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="#FFDF9F"| [[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix|'''MAL''']]<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="#DFDFDF"| [[2003 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>2</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 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]''<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 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>4</small>
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2003 Hungarian Grand Prix|'''HUN''']]<br /><small>1</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2003 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>8</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2003 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2003 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|
|
|
|| '''6th'''
|| '''55'''
|-
| [[2004 Formula One season|2004]]
! [[Mild Seven]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
! [[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="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]<br /><small>7</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Bahrain Grand Prix|BHR]]<br /><small>6</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="#EFCFFF"| [[2004 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>5</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="#DFDFDF"| [[2004 French Grand Prix|'''FRA''']]<br /><small>2</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 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br /><small>3</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2004 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2004 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Chinese Grand Prix|CHN]]<br /><small>4</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small>5</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2004 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>4</small>
|
|| '''4th'''
|| '''59'''
|-
| [[2005 Formula One season|2005]]
! [[Mild Seven]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] [[Renault R25|R25]]
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] RS25 3.0 [[V10 engine|V10]]
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| ''[[2005 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]''<br /><small>3</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="#DFDFDF"| [[2005 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2005 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>4</small>
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| ''[[2005 European Grand Prix|EUR]]''<br /><small>1</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="#DFDFDF"| [[2005 French Grand Prix|'''FRA''']]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2005 British Grand Prix|'''GBR''']]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2005 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>1</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2005 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br /><small>11</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2005 Turkish Grand Prix|TUR]]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2005 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2005 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2005 Brazilian Grand Prix|'''BRA''']]<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"| '''1st'''
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| '''133'''
|-
| [[2006 Formula One season|2006]]
! [[Mild Seven]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] [[Renault R26|R26]]
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] RS26 2.4 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|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="#DFDFDF"| ''[[2006 San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]''<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 Monaco Grand Prix|'''MON''']]<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="#DFFFDF"| [[2006 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>5</small>
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2006 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>1</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2006 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>5</small>
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[2006 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 Turkish Grand Prix|TUR]]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[2006 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| '''''[[2006 Chinese Grand Prix|CHN]]'''''<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| ''[[2006 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]''<br /><small>1</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2006 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>2</small>
|
|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>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2007 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2007 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>7</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2007 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2007 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>1</small>
|bgcolor="DFFFDF"| [[2007 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br /><small>4</small>
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2007 Turkish Grand Prix|TUR]]<br /><small>3</small>
|bgcolor="FFFFBF"| '''''[[2007 Italian Grand Prix|'''ITA''']]'''''<br /><small>1</small>
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2007 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>3</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2007 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFDFDF"| [[2007 Chinese Grand Prix|CHN]]<br /><small>2</small>
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[2007 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>3</small>
|
|
| align="center" bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| '''3rd'''
| align="center" bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| '''109'''
|-
| [[2008 Formula One season|2008]]
! [[ING Group|ING]] [[Renault F1|Renault F1 Team]]
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] [[Renault R28|R28]]
! [[Renault F1|Renault]] RS27 2.4 [[V8 engine|V8]]
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2008 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>4</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2008 Malaysian Grand Prix|MAL]]<br /><small>8</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2008 Bahrain Grand Prix|BHR]]<br /><small>10</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2008 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2008 Turkish Grand Prix|TUR]]<br /><small>6</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2008 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>10</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2008 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2008 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>8</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2008 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>6</small>
|bgcolor="#CFCFFF"| [[2008 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>11</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2008 Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]<br /><small>4</small>
|bgcolor="#EFCFFF"| [[2008 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2008 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>4</small>
|bgcolor="#DFFFDF"| [[2008 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>4</small>
|bgcolor="#FFFFBF"| [[2008 Singapore Grand Prix|SIN]]<br /><small>1</small>
| [[2008 Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small></small>
| [[2008 Chinese Grand Prix|CHN]]<br /><small></small>
| [[2008 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small></small>
|
! 7th*
! 38*
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Season in progress

== See also ==
{{commons|Fernando Alonso}}
{{wikiquote}}
* [[List of Formula One drivers]]
* [[List of Spaniards]]
* [[Alonsomania]]


==References==
==References==
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count: 2; column-count: 2;">
<references />
<references/>
</div>
</div>

== External links ==
*[http://www.fernandoalonso.com/ The official site for Fernando Alonso]

{{start box}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box|title=[[World Series by Renault|Euro Open Movistar by Nissan Champion]]|before=[[Marc Gené]]|after=[[Antonio García (driver)|Antonio García]]|years=[[1999 Euro Open by Nissan season|1999]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|Formula One World Champion]] |before=[[Michael Schumacher]]|after=[[Kimi Räikkönen]]|years=[[2005 Formula One season|2005]]-[[2006 Formula One season|2006]]}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box|title=[[Prince of Asturias Awards|Prince of Asturias Award]] (Sports)|before=[[Hicham El Guerrouj]]|after=[[Spain national basketball team]]|years=2005}}
{{succession box|before=[[Kimi Räikkönen]]|title=[[Lorenzo Bandini Trophy]]|years=2005|after=[[Mark Webber]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[Autosport]]<br />International Driver of the Year|before=[[Kimi Räikkönen]]|after=[[Lewis Hamilton]]|years=2006}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box| before = [[Rubens Barrichello]]</b><small><br/>22 years, 97 days<br/>([[1994 Belgian Grand Prix|1994 Belgian GP]])</small> | title = [[List of Formula One driver records#Youngest pole position winners|Youngest Grand Prix Pole Position<br>Winner]] | after = [[Sebastian Vettel]]</b><small><br/>21 years, 72 days<br/>([[2008 Italian Grand Prix|2008 Italian GP]])</small> | years = 21 years, 236 days<br/>([[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix]])}}
{{succession box| title = [[List of Formula One driver records#For at least one lap, youngest|Youngest Race Leader,<br>For at least one lap in Formula One]] | years = 21 years, 237 days<br/>([[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix]]) | before = [[Jimmy Davies]]</b><small><br/>21 years, 285 days<br/>([[1951 Indianapolis 500]])</small> | after = [[Sebastian Vettel]]</b><small><br/>20 years, 89 days<br/>([[2007 Japanese Grand Prix|2007 Japanese GP]])</small>}}
{{succession box| before = [[Ralf Schumacher]]</b><small><br/>21 years, 287 days<br/>([[1997 Argentine Grand Prix|1997 Argentine GP]])</small> | title = [[List of Formula One driver records#Youngest drivers to score a podium position|Youngest Driver to score a<br/>Podium Position in Formula One]] | after = [[Sebastian Vettel]]</b><small><br/>21 years, 73 days<br/>([[2008 Italian Grand Prix|2008 Italian GP]]) | years = 21 years, 237 days<br/>([[2003 Malaysian Grand Prix]])}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One driver records#Youngest drivers to set fastest lap|Youngest driver to set<br/>Fastest Lap in Formula One]]| before = [[Bruce McLaren]]</b><small><br/>21 years, 322 days<br/>([[1959 British Grand Prix|1959 British GP]]) | after = [[Nico Rosberg]]</b><small><br/>20 years, 258 days<br/>([[2006 Bahrain Grand Prix|2006 Bahrain GP]]) | years = 21 years, 321 days<br/>([[2003 Canadian Grand Prix]])}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One driver records#Youngest winners|Youngest Grand Prix Race<br>Winner]]| before = [[Troy Ruttman]]</b><small><br/>22 years, 80 days<br/>([[1952 Indianapolis 500]])</small> | after = [[Sebastian Vettel]]</b><small><br/>21 years, 73 days<br/>([[2008 Italian Grand Prix|2008 Italian GP]]) | years = 22 years, 26 days<br/>([[2003 Hungarian Grand Prix]])}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions#Youngest Drivers' Champion|Youngest Formula One<br>World Drivers' Champion]]| before = [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]</b><small><br/>25 years, 273 days<br/>([[1972 Formula One season|1972 season]]) | after = [[Incumbent]] | years = 24 years, 58 days<br/>([[2005 Formula One season|2005 season]])}}
{{end box}}

{{Formula One teams}}
{{Renault F1}}
{{Formula One World Drivers' Champions}}
{{Autosport International Racing Driver Award}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alonso, Fernando}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:Kart racing drivers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Minardi Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Monaco Grand Prix winners]]
[[Category:People from Oviedo]]
[[Category:Renault Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Spanish Formula One drivers]]
[[Category:Spanish racecar drivers]]

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Revision as of 16:04, 10 October 2008

Fernando Alonso
Born (1981-07-29) July 29, 1981 (age 42)
SpainOviedo Spain
Formula One World Championship career
NationalitySpain Spanish
TeamRenault
Car number5
Entries120 (119 starts)
Championships2 (2005, 2006)
Wins20
Podiums50
Career points528
Pole positions17
Fastest laps11
First entry2001 Australian Grand Prix
First win2003 Hungarian Grand Prix
Last win2008 Singapore Grand Prix
Last entry2008 Singapore Grand Prix
2007 position3rd (109 pts)

Fernando Alonso Díaz (born July 29, 1981 in Oviedo, Spain) is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion.

On September 25 2005 he won the 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. After retaining the title the following year, Alonso also became the youngest double Champion. In 2007, he became the second F1 driver, after Michael Schumacher, to score at least 100 points for three consecutive seasons. Nicknamed [El Nano] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), Alonso acts as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF[1] and is one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

Personal and early life

Fernando Alonso was born in Oviedo, Asturias in northern Spain. His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as a mechanic in an explosives factory near Oviedo.[2] Alonso has an older sister, Lorena. Alonso's father José Luis, an amateur kart racer, wanted to pass on his passion to his children. He built a kart, originally meant for eight-year-old Lorena, but unlike her three-year-old brother, she showed no interest in the sport.[2]

Alonso is rumoured to be married to Raquel del Rosario, lead singer of Spanish pop band El Sueño de Morfeo.[3] The two apparently married in November 2006.[4]

He currently lives in Oxford, England, and owns a house in Mont-sur-Rolle, near Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

Pre-Formula One

As a child, Alonso participated in karting competitions around Spain, supported by his father, who also doubled as his mechanic. His family lacked the financial resources needed to develop a career in motorsport, but his victories attracted sponsorship and the required funds. Alonso won four Spanish championships back-to-back in the junior category, between 1993 and 1996 and the Junior World Cup in 1996. He won the Spanish and Italian Inter-A titles in 1997 and in 1998 won the Spanish Inter-A title again as well as finishing second in the European Championship.

Former Minardi F1 driver Adrián Campos gave Alonso his first test in a race car in October 1998. After three days of testing at the Albacete circuit, Alonso had matched the lap times of Campos' previous driver Marc Gené.[5] Campos signed Alonso to race for him in the 1999 Spanish Euro Open MoviStar by Nissan series.[6] In his second race, again at Albacete, Alonso won for the first time. He took the championship by one point from championship rival Manuel Giao by winning and setting fastest lap at the last race of the season. Alonso also tested for the Minardi Formula One team, lapping 1.5 seconds faster than the other drivers at the test.[6]

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.[6] 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.[6]

Formula One

2001: Minardi

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 fast 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.[6]

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 competition for the seat from Felipe Massa and then Jaguar test driver Andre Lotterer.[7] A month later it was confirmed that Massa was going to take the vacant Sauber seat for 2002.[8]

In September, his manager Flavio Briatore had begun planning to place Alonso at Benetton. Briatore considered promoting Alonso for 2002, in place of his race driver Jenson Button, but instead chose to take Alonso on as a full-time test driver for 2002.[6] At the final round of 2001 at Suzuka he finished eleventh — five places outside the points but ahead, on merit, of Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s Prost (with a Ferrari engine), the BAR-Honda of Olivier Panis, the two Arrows and Alex Yoong (his new team mate).[6] Four years later, his team boss from the Minardi days, Paul Stoddart, described his race as "53 laps of qualifying".[9] He scored no points in the season.

2002–2006: Renault

2002–2003

Alonso in 2004

Alonso became test driver for 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.[6]

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 the double yellow flags and Safety Car boards brought out by Mark Webber's earlier crash and colliding with the debris.[10] The race was red-flagged. He finished second at his home grand prix two races later, and at the time 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.

2004

Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault Formula One team at the 2004 United States Grand Prix.

Alonso remained with Renault for the 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 from 2005 onwards. Alonso ended the year fourth in the championship standings, scoring 59 points and four podiums.

2005

For the 2005 season, Alonso was joined at Renault by highly rated Italian driver Giancarlo Fisichella. At the first race in Australia Alonso started near the back due to rain in qualifying but fought his way to third. He won the next two races in Malaysia and Bahrain from pole position, and took a third win in the San Marino Grand Prix after a 13-lap battle with Michael Schumacher.

McLaren's improving form saw Räikkönen win in Spain and Monaco while Alonso finished second and fourth, respectively. Räikkönen was on course to win the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring when his car's front-right suspension failed (due to a flat spot on the tyre caused by Räikkönen 'locking' it while passing Jacques Villeneuve) on the last lap, giving victory to Alonso.

Alonso at the 2005 United States Grand Prix.

Alonso failed to score in the Canadian and United States Grands Prix. He crashed out of the former, and in the latter all the Michelin runners withdrew due to safety concerns over their tyres.

Alonso took his third pole position and fifth win at the French Grand Prix. He followed this with pole position a week later at the British Grand Prix, where he finished a second behind Montoya. McLaren's poor reliability granted another win to Alonso at the German Grand Prix when Kimi Räikkönen's car suffered hydraulic failure.

He qualified 6th in the Hungarian Grand Prix but finished 11th after a collision with the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher.

As the season entered its final stages Alonso finished second in three consecutive races, collecting vital championship points. Räikkönen won in Turkey and Belgium, but was fourth at Monza after engine trouble in qualifying, meaning Alonso's lead had been reduced by only one point.

Alonso sealed the title by finishing third in Brazil while Montoya won from Räikkönen. The Spaniard became the youngest Drivers' Champion at the age of 24 years and 59 days old, breaking Emerson Fittipaldi's record. He also ended the 5-year dominance of Michael Schumacher.

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."

The Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix saw Alonso and Renault abandon the conservative style evident in Brazil when he was still chasing the drivers' title. Starting from 16th on the grid, he eventually finished third behind Räikkönen and Fisichella. The Chinese Grand Prix saw Renault and Alonso win to claim the first Constructor’s Championship for the Renault F1 team.

In 2005, he was awarded with the Sports Prince of Asturias Award.[11]

2006

Alonso at the 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix

Alonso won the first race of the 2006 Formula One season at Bahrain, overtaking Michael Schumacher after coming out of the pit lane with 18 laps left, after starting fourth. He qualified seventh at the Malaysian Grand Prix due to a fuelling error[12][13] but finished second to team mate Giancarlo Fisichella. He won the Australian Grand Prix after overtaking leader Jenson Button's Honda.

After poor qualifying at San Marino, Alonso was unable to pass Michael Schumacher in an encounter that echoed their battle the previous year. Schumacher beat Alonso again in the European Grand Prix after the Spaniard started on pole. But Alonso hit back, becoming the first Spaniard to win his home race on May 14, 2006 in the Spanish Grand Prix.

He took pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix 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.[14] Alonso won the race.

He extended his winning streak to four races with victories in Britain and Canada. Both wins came from pole position, and the British round was his first win, pole and fastest lap treble.

At the Canadian Grand Prix, Alonso took his 6th victory of the year.

Schumacher's fight back began at Indianapolis where the German won and Alonso was fifth. Schumacher won the French Grand Prix, with Alonso in second, and the Spaniard was fifth in the German Grand Prix.[15] That cut Alonso's championship lead to 11 points.

Alonso incurred a penalty for an infraction in practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix which left him 15th on the grid.[16] Schumacher started 11th after receiving a similar penalty.[17] Alonso looked set for an unlikely win as he overtook most of the field, including Schumacher around the outside of turn five, as he showed prowess in the wet conditions. But he crashed out of the race when a wheel nut fell off his car following a pit stop. Schumacher scored one point after Robert Kubica was disqualified.[18]

Alonso finished second in Turkey, holding back third-placed Schumacher to claim two vital points. But he lost a lot of ground after a controversial Italian Grand Prix. He suffered a puncture during qualifying that damaged bodywork at the back of his car. He qualified fifth but was later punished[19] by the stewards for impeding Felipe Massa's Ferrari,[20] and he started the race from the 10th position. In the race he rose to third place before an engine failure forced him to withdraw. Schumacher won the Grand Prix and cut Alonso's Championship lead to two points.

At the following round in China, Alonso took pole position during a wet qualifying session but finished second to Schumacher in the race. The result tied Alonso and Schumacher on points in the drivers championship.

At the 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. But during the race Alonso rose to second and took the win after Schumacher's engine failed. It gave him a ten point advantage over Schumacher, needing only one point from the final round to retain the title.

Second place in the Brazilian Grand Prix on October 22 gave Alonso the championship. 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: McLaren

Alonso at the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix, his first victory for McLaren.
Alonso finished second in the 2007 British Grand Prix.

On December 19, 2005, Fernando Alonso announced that he would be moving to McLaren for 2007.[21] 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 Jerez circuit, as a result of his successes with Renault. Driving an unbranded MP4-21 and wearing a plain white helmet and overalls, Alonso completed 95 laps.[22] Lewis Hamilton was chosen as his partner for the season. McLaren were reported to be paying Alonso £ 20 million (approx $ 39 million c. 2007) in 2007. Alonso debuted with the new McLaren car on January 15, 2007, in the streets of Valencia.

On 8 April 2007 in his second race for the team, Alonso secured his first win for McLaren, and the team's first since 2005 with a commanding drive at 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 collision with Felipe Massa which caused some damage to his car and dropped him to fourth. He finished the race third. On May 27, Alonso secured his second victory for McLaren at Monaco, scoring pole position, fastest lap and the race win and in the process lapping the entire field up to 3rd position. At the Nürburgring he took his third win of the year in a dramatic race affected by intermittent rain showers, overtaking Ferrari's Felipe Massa for the lead with just four laps remaining. After the controversy at the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix (see below), however, relations between Alonso and his team declined. It was reported in the media that he was no longer on speaking terms with Hamilton,[23] and it was speculated that he may leave McLaren at the end of the season.[24] On 7 August 2007 The Times reported that McLaren would let Alonso leave the team at the end of the season if he wished, two years earlier than his contract allowed.[25].

As part of the espionage controversy between McLaren and Ferrari, the former were found guilty of breaching the Article 151c of the FIA's sporting regulations but went unpunished due to a lack of evidence. However, following the acquisition of new evidence by the FIA, a new hearing was held on September 13. The new evidence consisted largely of email traffic between Alonso and test driver Pedro de la Rosa.[26] The FIA's World Motor Sport Council report following the hearing stated that Alonso and de la Rosa had obtained and used confidential Ferrari technical data and sporting strategy information from senior McLaren engineer Mike Coughlan via Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney, including during test sessions. Both drivers were spared sanctions in exchange for providing evidence.

On 2 November 2007, after a turbulent year with McLaren, it was announced that McLaren and Alonso had mutually agreed to terminate his contract and that he would be free to join any team for 2008 without paying McLaren any compensation.[27]

2008: Return to Renault

Alonso testing for Renault in January 2008.
Alonso driving for Renault at the 2008 Belgian Grand Prix.
Alonso took a surprise victory at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Alonso was linked with several teams for the 2008 season after his split with McLaren. Renault, Red Bull, Toyota and Honda were all suggested in the media. Renault's Flavio Briatore stated that he would welcome Alonso's return to the French team. On 10 December 2007, Alonso signed a two-year contract to drive for Renault F1 alongside Brazilian driver Nelson Angelo Piquet for around £25 million.[28][29]

In the first two rounds of the 2008 Season, Alonso was not as competitive as he was used to being. He has come 4th and 8th in Australia and Malaysia respectively. After these two races, there were rumours that he could replace Felipe Massa at Ferrari in 2009, especially in light of the general belief that there is an "out clause" in Fernando Alonso's contract with Renault which would give him the freedom to move to another team for the next season should he be able to secure a deal. However Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo stated that Massa's seat in the team is secured and will stay that way until the end of his contract in 2010.[citation needed] Kimi Räikkönen has also been given a two-year contract extension to partner Massa until the end of 2010[30], essentially closing the door on Alonso for a possible move to Ferrari. Alonso too has denied this "out clause" rumour in 2008.

On 6 April 2008, in the 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton ran into the back of Alonso's Renault, heavily damaging the rear wing of the Spaniard's car, as well as his own nosecone. Stewards did not seek to investigate the incident but critics alleged he braked (or didn't accelerate as expected) in front of Lewis Hamilton causing Hamilton to crash into him [31]. Telemetric data from Alonso's car proved these accusations to be wrong [32]. Hamilton himself stated "I was behind him, and I moved to the right, and he moved to the right and that was it - a racing incident I guess"[33]. It was later revealed by McLaren that Hamilton's front wing, which was damaged when he hit Alonso earlier in the race, had broken seconds before the impact and has been identified as the cause of the crash. Alonso started the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix with promising pace, qualifying on the front row in second place behind Kimi Räikkönen. Alonso was running in a solid fifth place when the Renault engine blew up with 31 laps to go in the 66 lap race.

Alonso qualified 7th for the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix. He ran fourth early in the race, but dropped to 10th at the finish after two incidents - puncturing a tyre against the barrier and a collision with Nick Heidfeld.

In the Canadian Grand Prix Alonso qualified a promising fourth and was keeping up with the pace of the BMWs, who would eventually go on to record their maiden win with Robert Kubica after pitlane dramas plagued both Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes. However, with a heavy Heidfeld in front of him and the rest of the field having pitted for their final stops, Alonso was faced with having to pass Heidfeld or risk finishing outside the points entirely. On lap 45 Alonso put a wheel off-line, onto the marbles, which made him spin and crash into the wall at turn two.

In the European Grand Prix (Valencia, Spain), Alonso performed strongly in all three practice sessions and the first round of qualifying. However, he failed to make it through the second round of qualifying. During the opening lap of the race, Alonso was hit by Kazuki Nakajima in the rear wing of his R28 and sustained damage to his gearbox. His mechanics were unable to repair the problem and he was forced to retire from the race.

In the Belgian Grand Prix Alonso qualified sixth and ran in the top five for most of the race. When heavy rain fell towards the end of the race, he gambled on pitting for wet tyres with one lap to go. This dropped him from 4th to 8th, but a fast final lap saw him climb back to fourth - passing Kubica and Sebastien Vettel at the final corner.

In the Italian Grand Prix Alonso qualified eight but managed to climb four places and finished fourth in the race. This was the second consecutive fourth place after the Belgian Grand Prix. Fourth place was the best result for Alonso in 2008 until his victory at Singapore.

Alonso claimed his first victory and podium of the season by winning the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. After performing strongly in practice, a fuel pressure problem in the second part of qualifying forced him to park the car, causing him to qualify 15th. In the race he started with a light fuel load on soft tyres, and pitted early when he realised that this would not be successful. However, a safety car period (caused by Piquet crashing) meant that he moved ahead of many drivers who had to pit, and allowed him to ultimately win the race. This was also his 50th podium and 20th win in his career.

Records and achievements

  • Second youngest driver to score a podium finish: 21 years, 237 days at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix (behind Sebastian Vettel: 21 years 74 days)
  • Second youngest winner: 22 years, 26 days at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix (behind Sebastian Vettel: 21 years 74 days)
  • Second youngest driver to set fastest lap: 21 years, 321 days at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix (behind Nico Rosberg: 20 years, 258 days)
  • Second driver (after Michael Schumacher) to score 100 or more points for three consecutive seasons (in 2005, 2006 and 2007)
  • Second highest number of podium positions in a season: 15 in 2005 (behind Michael Schumacher: 17 in 2002)
  • Second highest number of consecutive podium positions: 15 in 2005-2006 (behind Michael Schumacher: 19 in 2001-2002)
  • Third youngest driver to start from the front row of the grid: 21 years, 237 days at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix (behind Ricardo Rodríguez: 19 years, 208 days)
  • Third highest points total in one season: 134 in 2006 (behind Michael Schumacher: 148 in 2004 and 144 in 2002)
  • Winner of the 800th Grand Prix (2008 Singapore Grand Prix).

Controversies

  • At the 2003 European Grand Prix, David Coulthard and McLaren managing director Martin Whitmarsh accused Alonso of giving Coulthard a brake test.[34]
  • At the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, Alonso was involved in an incident in which he brake tested 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.[16]
  • 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."[35]
  • In the 2006 Italian Grand Prix, after stewards ruled Alonso had potentially 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".[19]
  • During the aftermath of the 2007 European Grand Prix Alonso accused Felipe Massa of trying to hit him off the track when he passed him around the outside of turn 5 in the wet. The two had a row in front of the cameras immediately before the podium proceedings. [1] Alonso and Massa later apologised.
  • In the qualifying for the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, while both McLarens were in the pits, Alonso remained stationary in the McLaren pit for a few seconds. This delayed the then provisional pole sitter (and his team mate), Lewis Hamilton long enough to prevent him from getting another 'hot lap' in. Alonso then went on to claim pole.[36] McLaren boss Ron Dennis later said the team had got "out of sequence" when Hamilton did not as agreed allow Alonso past earlier in the qualifying session. He added that Alonso was "under the control of his engineer" when he was waiting in the pit lane.[37] However, Alonso was subsequently given a five-place grid penalty[38] and his McLaren team were docked the 15 constructors' World Championship points they would have earned in the race.[39]
  • As result of this investigation, it emerged that some people within McLaren, among them Alonso, were aware of confidential information belonging to the Ferrari team. This information was commented on to Alonso by McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa who had also received information from McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan. The email contained text suggesting that Alonso was surprised by the data and doubted its authenticity. According to the "spygate" related email exchanges between Alonso and de la Rosa, it was clear that Alonso knew about Ferrari's pit strategies in the Australian Grand Prix and Bahrain Grand Prix. Alonso finished 2nd and 5th respectively in those races.[40] Ron Dennis told FIA about the case during the Hungaroring GP after alleging that Alonso threatened him to report the team to FIA himself if he wasn't given number one status within the McLaren team, while Alonso declared that false and asked FIA to show evidence of his innocence; FIA then revealed that it had had knowledge of the case thanks to a slip made by Coughlan.

[41]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Name Races Poles Wins Points Final Placing
1999 Euro Open by Nissan Campos Motorsport 15 9 6 164 1st
2000 International Formula 3000 Team Astromega 9 1 1 17 4th
2001 Formula One Minardi 17 0 0 0 23rd
2002 Formula One Renault Test driver
2003 Formula One Renault 16 2 1 55 6th
2004 Formula One Renault 18 1 0 59 4th
2005 Formula One Renault 19 6 7 133 1st
2006 Formula One Renault 18 6 7 134 1st
2007 Formula One McLaren 17 2 4 109 3rd
2008 Formula One Renault 15 0 1 38* 7th*
* Season in Progress

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 WDC Points
2001 European Minardi F1 Team Minardi PS01 European (Cosworth) 3.0 V10 AUS
12
MAL
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
23rd 0
2003 Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Renault R23 Renault RS23 3.0 V10 AUS
7
MAL
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
6th 55
2004 Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Renault R24 Renault RS24 3.0 V10 AUS
3
MAL
7
BHR
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
4th 59
2005 Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Renault R25 Renault RS25 3.0 V10 AUS
3
MAL
1
BHR
1
SMR
1
ESP
2
MON
4
EUR
1
CAN
Ret
USA
DNS
FRA
2
GBR
2
GER
1
HUN
11
TUR
2
ITA
2
BEL
2
BRA
3
JPN
3
CHN
1
1st 133
2006 Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Renault R26 Renault RS26 2.4 V8 BHR
1
MAL
2
AUS
1
SMR
2
EUR
2
ESP
1
MON
1
GBR
1
CAN
1
USA
5
FRA
1
GER
5
HUN
Ret
TUR
2
ITA
Ret
CHN
2
JPN
1
BRA
2
1st 134
2007 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes McLaren MP4-22 Mercedes FO 108T 2.4 V8 AUS
2
MAL
1
BHR
5
ESP
3
MON
1
CAN
7
USA
2
FRA
7
GBR
2
EUR
1
HUN
4
TUR
3
ITA
1
BEL
3
JPN
Ret
CHN
2
BRA
3
3rd 109
2008 ING Renault F1 Team Renault R28 Renault RS27 2.4 V8 AUS
4
MAL
8
BHR
10
ESP
Ret
TUR
6
MON
10
CAN
Ret
FRA
8
GBR
6
GER
11
HUN
4
EUR
Ret
BEL
4
ITA
4
SIN
1
JPN
CHN
BRA
7th* 38*

* Season in progress

See also

References

  1. ^ "La Nueva España :: Galería[[Category:Articles containing Spanish-language text]]". La Nueva España. 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-17. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  2. ^ a b Urruty, Martín (2005-11-26). "De plebeyo a rey. Cómo llegó Alonso a ser el campeón más joven de la historia[[Category:Articles containing Spanish-language text]]" (in Spanish). ESPNdeportes. Retrieved 2007-07-30. {{cite news}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  3. ^ "2007 FIA Gala Awards Gallery". The Official Formula 1 Website. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  4. ^ "The girls in pole position". Mail on Sunday. Associated Newspapers. 2007-02-25. p. 34. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ "Fernando Alonso". f1db.com. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Who's Who: Fernando Alonso". F1Fanatic.co.uk. 2006. Retrieved 2006-01-07.
  7. ^ "Sauber chasing Alonso". GrandPrix.com. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
  8. ^ "Sauber confirms Massa". GrandPrix.com. 2001-10-12. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
  9. ^ Cooper, Steve (2007). "The hunter becomes the haunted". Autosport. 189 (10): p.39. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ "Fernando Alonso in for a ticking off". grandprix.com. 2003-04-16. Retrieved 2007-09-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Fernando Alonso". The Price of Asturias Foundation. 2005. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  12. ^ "Qualifying — selected driver quotes". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006-03-18. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
  13. ^ "Malaysian Grand Prix — selected driver quotes". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006-03-19. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
  14. ^ "Schumacher is stripped of pole". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  15. ^ "Renault on the ropes after Hockenheim?". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006-07-30. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
  16. ^ a b "Alonso receives qualifying penalties". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006-08-04. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
  17. ^ "Räikkonen steals pole in Hungary". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  18. ^ "Hungarian Grand Prix 2006 review". F1Fanatic.co.uk. 2006-08-06. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  19. ^ a b "Fuming Alonso says F1 is no longer a sport". F1racing.net. 2006-09-10. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
  20. ^ "Alonso punished for blocking Massa". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  21. ^ "Alonso in shock move to McLaren". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2005. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  22. ^ "Jerez day four — Hamilton on form in Spain". The Official Formula 1 Website. 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  23. ^ "Hungarian GP — Alonso not speaking to Hamilton". uk.eurosport.yahoo.com. 2007-08-06. Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Alonso's future at McLaren in doubt". autosport.com. 2007-08-06. Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Gorman, Edward (2007-08-07). "McLaren may lose Alonso if he cannot work with Hamilton". The Times. Times Newspapers. Retrieved 2007-08-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Letter confirms drivers had new evidence". autosport.com. 2007-09-07. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Alonso Press Release". Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  28. ^ Fernando Alonso to re-sign for Renault www.telegraph.co.uk Retrieved 10 December 2007
  29. ^ Renault confirms 2008 driver line-up Alonso and Piquet http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/ Retrieved 10 December 2007
  30. ^ "Ferrari confirm Raikkonen to end of 2010". Formula1.com. 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  31. ^ "Massa wins as Ferrari dominates in desert". ITV. 2008-04-06. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  32. ^ "Renault rubbish 'brake test' suggestions". Autosport. 2008-04-06. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  33. ^ "Bahrain Grand Prix - selected driver quotes". Formula1.com. 2008-04-06. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  34. ^ "Coulthard blames Alonso". BBC Sport. 2003-06-29. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
  35. ^ "Schumi hints at foul play". F1racing.net. 2006-08-05. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
  36. ^ "Hungarian Grand Prix 2007 — Qualifying". news.bbc.co.uk. 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  37. ^ "Dennis: Hamilton triggered incident". autosport.com. 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  38. ^ "Alonso demoted to sixth in Hungary". autosport.com. 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  39. ^ "Alonso punished for Hamilton move". British Broadcasting Corp. 2007-08-04. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  40. ^ Dennis tipped off FIA about evidence, 2007-09-14, retrieved 2007-09-20{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  41. ^ Elizalde, Pablo (2007-09-19), Transcript highlights Dennis/Alonso row, retrieved 2007-09-20{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by Euro Open Movistar by Nissan Champion
1999
Succeeded by
Preceded by Formula One World Champion
2005-2006
Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by Prince of Asturias Award (Sports)
2005
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lorenzo Bandini Trophy
2005
Succeeded by
Preceded by Autosport
International Driver of the Year

2006
Succeeded by
Records
Preceded by Youngest Grand Prix Pole Position
Winner

21 years, 236 days
(2003 Malaysian Grand Prix)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Youngest Race Leader,
For at least one lap in Formula One

21 years, 237 days
(2003 Malaysian Grand Prix)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Youngest Driver to score a
Podium Position in Formula One

21 years, 237 days
(2003 Malaysian Grand Prix)
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Bruce McLaren
21 years, 322 days
(1959 British GP)
Youngest driver to set
Fastest Lap in Formula One

21 years, 321 days
(2003 Canadian Grand Prix)
Succeeded by
Nico Rosberg
20 years, 258 days
(2006 Bahrain GP)
Preceded by Youngest Grand Prix Race
Winner

22 years, 26 days
(2003 Hungarian Grand Prix)
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Emerson Fittipaldi
25 years, 273 days
(1972 season)
Youngest Formula One
World Drivers' Champion

24 years, 58 days
(2005 season)
Succeeded by