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Fernando Alonso Celebrates His 400th Grand Prix in F1

400 for Fernando Alonso! In Mexico, the Spanish driver will mark his 400th Grand Prix in F1. Here are some of the best moments of his F1 career.

Fernando Alonso’s career in Formula 1 is simply legendary; a two-decade-long story with 32 wins, 103 podiums and 22 pole positions at the age of 43. And in Mexico City, he will reach another milestone: 400th race entry on the grid for the Spanish driver, the first ever to do so.

To celebrate it, Alonso will race with a special helmet with pictures of his best moments. But, after all this time and all the ups and downs, the last checkered flag for him is still far away.

Alonso also expressed the hope to add another 40 or 50 races to his total in the next two years. This is a never-ending love story between the driver and racing cars and more promises for the future.

Let’s relive some of Alonso’s significant moments in Formula 1:

1- Australia 2001: the Minardi era

In Melbourne, Fernando Alonso made his debut in Formula 1 at the age of nineteen years old. He was the third youngest rookie ever to partake in an F1 race. He was 19th time in qualifying and crossed the finish line in P12, ahead of more experienced drivers. His best finish that season was P10. Since then, he started to gain attention from many top teams before eventually moving to Renault.

2- Hungary 2003: and he became the youngest driver to win

After a year as a test driver for Renault, the Spanish driver got the team’s seat in 2003. In Hungary, Alonso celebrated his first win and became the then-youngest-ever driver to win a race. It was only his 30th Grand Prix, back then. Years later, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen both broke his record.

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3- Brazil 2005: a new World Champion

In 2005, Fernando Alonso became World Champion for the first time with Renault. It was an exciting season, with a tight battle between the Spaniard and McLaren. The day he won the title, he started on pole and closed third on the podium. As a result, he became the then-youngest-ever World Champion. He held this record up until Vettel’s era in Red Bull, the it became Lewis Hamilton‘s. Moreover, in the same season, Renault won the Constructor’s title as well.

4- Brazil 2006: the second Title

Again, in Interlagos the following year, Alonso became World Champion for the second time. This time, his main rival was the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher. But in Brazil, it was Felipe Massa’s Ferrari who went go wheel-to-wheel with Fernando. The Renault driver ended the race in P2 but won the title, becoming a 2 time World Champion in the span of two years.

5- Bahrain 2010: in a shade of Ferrari red

From Renault, in 2007 he signed with McLaren where he had a fierce rivalry with his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. This led to Alonso leaving Woking for Maranello, joining Scuderia Ferrari. He made his debut in red in 2010. The first race with the Cavallino resulted in a win as well. During that season, he was a contender for the title but lost it in the last race in Abu Dhabi against Vettel.

6- Spain 2013: the last win

In Barcelona in 2013, Alonso was the home hero after winning the race with the Scuderia. In his legendary Ferrari F138, he started fifth and overtook Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton at the start. After the pit stop, he took the lead of the race and kept it until the end. It was the 32nd win of his career. Unfortunately, it also became the last one up until now.

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7- Russia 2015: in McLaren-Honda

For the 2015 season, he was back in McLaren. With the team, Alonso also marked his 250th Grand Prix, the only remarkable achievement in an underwhelming season. McLaren and their new partner Honda struggled to create a competitive project. In Russia, he was only 10th and was later penalised for track limits. After his time with the team, in 2018, Alonso decided to take a break from Formula 1.

8- Bahrain 2021:  the Formula 1 comeback

After two years in endurance and IndyCar racing among other series, Fernando Alonso was back in Formula 1 with the Alpine team. His comeback on the F1 grid coincided with his 315th GP. Unfortunately, his Alpine suffered from problems with the brake system and he had to retire. But, the rest of the season got better for the Spanish driver, ending the season with 81 points in P10 in the standings.

9- Bahrain 2022: Aston Martin green

After Sebastian Vettel decided to retire from the racing world, Alonso filled the vacant seat in Aston Martin. The 2023 season was a fortunate one for the driver and the team, both being very competitive. Fernando was often on the podium alongside the two Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. He ended the season third in the standings.

10- Mexico 2023: a lot more to do

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City will see Alonso celebrate his accomplishments. In a season like 2024, where Aston Martin isn’t as promising as the AMR23 was, this will definitely be a reason for celebrations for Fernando. His focus, however, seems already to be on the future, especially for the 2026 season. And his passion for the sport is still the same as that very first day in 2001.

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