As of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship, the world has seen more than 1,100 Grand Prixs and 34 world champions. While Fernando Alonso has won the world championship only twice in 2005 and 2006, far fewer than the seven of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, Alonso’s legendary status is nothing short of theirs. Fans have called him one of the most naturally talented and the most adaptive drivers in the sport’s history. This is cement by, among others, the fact that no other drivers have started more Grand Prixs than the Spaniard, who himself has started 378 Grand Prixs.
Statistics that reflect Fernando Alonso’s greatness
But the figure might be barely comprehensible, because it is; since his debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, there have been more than 90 other drivers who have joined the sport since. Here are some other perspectives we want to offer to allow you to fully appreciate the legend that is Fernando Alonso.
But, will Fernando Alonso beat Lance Stroll in the 2024 championship? Will he fight Max Verstappen to the crown? Will he stand on the podium? Make your bets on the 2024 Formula One season or other sporting competition and earn real-world profit now at bettingtop10.
Most competitors among the current grid (116)
While Alonso is not the outright holder of this record, it is still impressive. The record belongs to Frenchman Maurice Trintignant who raced against 232 drivers throughout his career, followed by Mr. Monaco Graham Hill at 231, both of whom raced in an era where drivers died, got replaced, entered independently, and retired much sooner.
Still, on the 2024 grid, Alonso is the undisputed number one. He has raced against 116 Formula One drivers throughout his career, ranging from the likes of Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen to Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. The next highest-ranking driver in his former teammate Lewis Hamilton has not even reached 90, let alone three figures.
Most kilometers/laps raced in Formula One (102,551 kilometers/20,504 laps)
In his 20-year long Formula One career, the Spaniard maestro has driven around many circuits, but to which extent? Alonso is the first-ever Formula One driver to finish more than one hundred thousand kilometeres and twenty thousand racing laps. To put some perspective, the Earth’s equatorial circumference is roughly 40,000 kilometeres, meaning that Alonso has driven around the world twice and a half time in the past two decades.
Second-placed Lewis Hamilton would have to wait more than one season to even have a chance at beating this record, assuming that Alonso retires before him.
Highest number of races classified (312) and finished (302)
Perhaps this is the real testament to Alonso’s capabilities as a racing driver. He not only started the most race, but also managed to get himself past the chequered flag more than 80% of the times. These statistics have to take into account Alonso’s disastrous spells at McLaren and Alpine, where the cars were unreliable and uncompetitive.
Highest number of seasons (21)
The only Formula One driver to ever take part in more than 19 seasons so far, Alonso made his debut in 2001 during the V10 era, and is currently racing against drivers born after that. For context, Fernando Alonso’s 378 Grand Prixs mean that he has taken part in more than a third of every Grand Prixs ever held, which is truly mind-boggling. In fact, there have been more than 436 Grand Prixs and 22.5 years between his debut and his latest race.
Other interesting statistics
- Alonso was in the top 30 for both the youngest-ever and the oldest-ever driver to register a Grand Prix point. He was 21 years and 7 months old when he scored for the first time at the 2003 Australian Grand Prix, and 42 years and 7 months old after scoring in the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
- Alonso was in the top 15 for both the youngest-ever and the oldest-ever driver to qualify in the top two. He was 21 years and 7 months old when he started from pole at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix, and 41 years and 10 months old when he started from P2 at the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix.
- Alonso held the record for the longest interval between the first and the latest lap led, fastest lap and podium scored, with more than twenty years between that.
Fernando Alonso’s Formula One Career Path
Fernando Alonso made his career debut in 2001 with the backmarking Minardi team, where he started 17 races but failed to register any world championship points.
Youthful Champion
He took a hiatus in 2002, before managing to secure a seat at Renault for the 2003 season. There, he created history by becoming the youngest pole sitter, podium scorer, and race winner at the time all within his debut year with the Enstone team. His most famous moments at Renault are undoubtedly his championship winning years in 2005 and 2006, the latter saw him fend off the great Michael Schumacher until the last race.
The Golden Era
After that, he left to join McLaren Mercedes and was paired with rookie Lewis Hamilton. The two were constantly involved in battles against each other, which allowed Kimi Raikkonen and the Ferrari team to usurp the 2007 crown. Alonso returned to Renault for two more years before making the dreamy move to Ferrari in 2010. He challenged for the world championship twice in his maiden year with the team and in 2012, losing both titles to Sebastian Vettel in a close battle.
Downturn and comeback
After Ferrari produced a shocking car in the turbo-hybrid era, Alonso returned once again to McLaren in hopes of changing fortunes. It did change, but not to the better. He scored only 132 points across four seasons and was ranked down in 17th in his first year. Things got so bad that he retired after the 2018 season.
However, his return to Alpine in 2021 was moderately successful and earned him his first podium in 7 years at Qatar. His move to Aston Martin in 2023 has earned him eight more so far and showed fans once again that he is still Formula One’s great racer despite his age.
The 2024 Season
As of writing, Fernando Alonso just finished 9th at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, scoring two points and comfortable beating his teammate Lance Stroll. Aston Martin’s 2024 competitor, the AMR24, is expected to perform worse than its predecessor in terms of pace and competitiveness, but should still allow the Silverstone team to secure P5 in the constructors’ championship.
