The 30 best races of Fernando Alonso in F1

Pass the photos to remember the best races of Fernando Alonso in F1

2001 Spanish GP

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In his fifth grand prix with Minardi, Alonso qualified 18th, ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella in Renault and Pedro de la Rosa in Jaguar (with whom he is competing in the photo, at the first corner). He finished 13th, ahead of Fisichella and his teammate Jenson Button!

Photo by: Russell Batchelor/Motorsport Images

2001 Japanese GP

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Alonso qualified 18th and finished 11th ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Prost), Olivier Panis (BAR) and both Arrows.

Photo by: Minardi Formula 1

2003 Spanish GP

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He qualified third with the Renault, behind the two Ferraris that occupied the front row of the grid. He defeated Barrichello on Sunday to finish second behind Schumacher.

Photo by: LAT Images

Hungarian GP 2003

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Alonso broke Bruce McLaren’s record and became the youngest driver in history to win an F1 race. He did it dominating from start to finish from pole.

Photo by: LAT Images

2004 French GP

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One of his biggest defeats. Michael Schumacher and Ferrari carried out an incredible four-stop strategy to defeat Alonso, who had snatched pole from him.

Photo by: LAT Images

San Marino GP 2005

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In an epic display of defensive driving late in the race, Alonso held off Schumacher to take one of his best wins to date.

Photo by: LAT Images

Japanese GP 2005

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The race may be remembered for Kimi Raikkonen’s final overtaking of Giancarlo Fisichella to win, but Alonso also made a remarkable comeback from 16th to 3rd.

Photo by: XPB Images

Japanese GP 2006

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His last victory with Renault (at least for now!) before moving to McLaren. Alonso was locked in a battle with Michael Schumacher for victory until Schumi’s engine blew, allowing Alonso to move closer to his second title.

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

2007 European GP (Nurburgring)

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At times it was a crazy race, with a thunderstorm that stopped the event. At the restart, Alonso prevailed after a tough battle with Felipe Massa (Ferrari).

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Italian GP 2007

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Alonso’s fourth win of the season, his last with McLaren.

Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images

Japanese GP 2008

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After his victory in Singapore (the most controversial of his career!), Alonso managed to repeat in the following race, in Fuji, by defeating Robert Kubica’s BMW.

Photo by: Steve Etherington/Motorsport Images

Bahrain GP 2010

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Alonso scored an admittedly lucky victory in his first race for Ferrari, as leader Sebastian Vettel suffered a spark plug problem that saw him finish fourth.

Photo by: Lorenzo Bellanca / Motorsport Images

Italian GP 2010

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He scored Ferrari’s first home win since the Schumacher era, beating Jenson Button’s McLaren.

Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images

2010 Singapore GP

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In true 2005 Imola fashion, Alonso held on to victory by just 0.293 seconds despite intense pressure from Vettel.

Photo by: LAT Images

2010 Korean GP

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In a rain-affected race that ended in gloom, Alonso’s fifth win that year (despite a slow pitstop) put him first in the world standings with two races to go when Vettel suffered an engine problem and Lewis Hamilton erred.

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar/Motorsport Images

British GP 2011

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After a bad stop ruined Vettel’s race, Alonso took advantage to win by 16 seconds. It would be his only win of the season, and that of Ferrari.

Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images

Malaysian GP 2012

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In mixed weather conditions (rainy and dry), Alonso withstood a surprise challenge from Sergio Pérez in the Sauber to win.

Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images

European GP 2012 (Valencia)

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After a strategic mistake in qualifying, he started 11th but completed a perfect Sunday. With some help from a safety car, and some notable overtaking, he ended up winning with a comfortable lead. He himself says that it is perhaps his best victory.

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro/Motorsport Images

Brazilian GP 2012

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He failed to win the race or the title, but Alonso went from eighth on the grid to second in the race. Button was unattainable and Vettel did enough to win the world championship.

Photo by: Charles Coates/Motorsport Images

Spanish GP 2013

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He was only starting fifth, but he made some incredible passes in front of his home crowd. He passed Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton in a single manoeuvre, beat Vettel and then overtook leader Nico Rosberg for his last F1 victory. A day of great inspiration, without a doubt.

Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images

Hungarian GP 2014

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Starting fifth, Alonso went on to get first and it looked like he could win. However, Daniel Ricciardo, on newer tyres, passed him just short of the finish and forced him to settle for second place.

Photo By: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images

United States GP 2016

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From 12th on the grid in his McLaren-Honda, Alonso worked his way up to fifth, beating Massa (with aggressive overtaking) before beating Sainz.

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Hungarian GP 2017

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Another great showing, this time finishing sixth from eighth place.

Photo by: Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images

Australian GP 2018

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Going back from the 11th starting position to the fifth final position, even finishing ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images

Azerbaijan GP 2018

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With both tires on the right side punctured from a collision, Alonso returned his car to the pits. And not only was he able to continue, but he also managed to finish seventh, just 10 seconds behind the leader! He himself described it as an “unrepeatable career”.

Photo By: Sutton Motorsport Images

Azerbaijan GP 2021

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His first big performance since his comeback. In a final interrupted by red flag that left a “mini race” of only two laps in which Alonso managed to gain three positions to finish sixth.

Photo by: Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images

Hungarian GP 2021

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Favored by two penalties, Alonso started third after having qualified fifth on Saturday, and with a great pace he managed to resist to take the 98th podium of his F1 career under the lights of Sakhir, the first since 2014.

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar/Motorsport Images

Qatar GP 2021

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Favored by two penalties, Alonso started third after having qualified fifth on Saturday, and with a great pace he managed to resist to take the 98th podium of his F1 career under the lights of Sakhir, the first since 2014.

Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images

Canadian GP 2022

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In the rain and with nothing to lose, Alonso marveled once again with second position on the grid, his first starting row in 10 years. In the race he suffered several misfortunes and an engine problem and finished seventh at the finish line before falling to ninth place due to a penalty.

Photo by: Francois Tremblay

Spanish GP 2022

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After a jug of cold water in qualifying and an engine change that made him start last, he scored a run in front of his fans who once again packed the stands, to reach the points with ninth position. He defined it as a victory.

Photo by: Carl Bingham/Motorsport Images

1. 2001 Spanish GP – In his fifth Grand Prix with Minardi, Alonso qualified 18th, ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella in Renault and Pedro de la Rosa in Jaguar (with whom he is competing in the photo, at the first corner). He finished 13th, ahead of Fisichella and his teammate Jenson Button!
2. 2001 Japanese GP – Alonso qualified 18th and finished 11th ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Prost), Olivier Panis (BAR) and both Arrows.
3. 2003 Spanish GP – He qualified third with the Renault, behind the two Ferraris that occupied the front row of the grid. He defeated Barrichello on Sunday to finish second behind Schumacher.
4. 2003 Hungarian GP – Alonso broke Bruce McLaren’s record and became the youngest driver in history to win an F1 race. He did it dominating from start to finish from pole.
5. 2004 French GP – One of his biggest defeats. Michael Schumacher and Ferrari carried out an incredible four-stop strategy to defeat Alonso, who had snatched pole from him.
6. 2005 San Marino GP – In an epic display of defensive driving late in the race, Alonso trailed behind Schumacher to take one of his best wins to date.
7. 2005 Japanese GP – The race may be remembered for Kimi Raikkonen’s last overtaking of Giancarlo Fisichella to win, but Alonso also made a remarkable comeback from 16th to 3rd.
8. 2006 Japanese GP – His last victory with Renault (at least for now!) before moving to McLaren. Alonso was locked in a battle with Michael Schumacher for victory until Schumi’s engine blew, allowing Alonso to move closer to his second title.
9. 2007 European GP (Nurburgring) – At times it was a crazy race, with a thunderstorm bringing the event to a halt. At the restart, Alonso prevailed after a tough battle with Felipe Massa (Ferrari).
10. 2007 Italian GP – Alonso’s fourth win of the season, his last with McLaren.
11. 2008 Japanese GP – After his victory in Singapore (the most controversial of his career!), Alonso managed to repeat in the following race, in Fuji, by defeating Robert Kubica’s BMW.
12. 2010 Bahrain GP – Alonso scored an admittedly lucky victory in his first race for Ferrari as leader Sebastian Vettel suffered a spark plug problem which saw him finish fourth.
13. 2010 Italian GP – Scored Ferrari’s first home win since the Schumacher era, beating Jenson Button’s McLaren.
14. 2010 Singapore GP – In 2005 Imola style, Alonso held on to victory by just 0.293 seconds despite intense pressure from Vettel.
15. 2010 Korean GP – In a rain-affected race that ended in gloom, Alonso’s fifth win that year (despite a slow pitstop) put him first in the world standings with two races to go when Vettel suffered a problem engine and Lewis Hamilton made a mistake.
16. 2011 British GP – After a bad stop ruined Vettel’s race, Alonso took advantage to win by 16 seconds. It would be his only win of the season, and that of Ferrari.
17. 2012 Malaysian GP – In mixed weather conditions (rain and dry), Alonso withstood a surprise challenge from Sergio Pérez in the Sauber to win.
18. 2012 European GP (Valencia) – After a strategic error in qualifying, he started 11th but completed a perfect Sunday. With some help from a safety car, and some notable overtaking, he ended up winning with a comfortable lead. He himself says that it is perhaps his best victory.
19. 2012 Brazilian GP – Failing to win the race or the title, Alonso moved from eighth on the grid to second in the race. Jenson Button was unattainable and Vettel did enough to win the world championship.
20. 2013 Spanish GP – He started only fifth, but made some incredible passes in front of his home crowd. He passed Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton in a single manoeuvre, beat Vettel and then overtook leader Nico Rosberg for his last F1 win. A day of great inspiration, without a doubt.
21. 2014 Hungarian GP – Starting fifth, Alonso went on to take the lead and it looked like he could win. However, Daniel Ricciardo, on newer tyres, passed him just short of the finish and forced him to settle for second place.
22. 2016 United States GP – From 12th on the grid in his McLaren-Honda, Alonso worked his way up to 5th, beating Massa (with aggressive overtaking) before beating Sainz.
23. 2017 Hungarian GP – Another great showing, this time finishing sixth from eighth.
24. Australian GP 2018 – Rising from 11th starting position to fifth place finish, even finishing ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
25. Azerbaijan GP 2018 – With both tires on the right hand side punctured from a collision, Alonso returned his car to the pits. And not only was he able to continue, but he also managed to finish seventh, just 10 seconds behind the leader! He himself described it as an “unrepeatable career”.
26. Azerbaijan GP 2021 – His first great performance since his comeback. In a final interrupted by red flag that left a “mini race” of only two laps in which Alonso managed to gain three positions to finish sixth.
27. Hungarian GP 2021 – It wasn’t a victory, but it was a memorable performance. With the fastest car and after a strategic mistake, Lewis Hamilton found himself at the back of the pack with the need to come back. He did it without problems until he reached Alonso, who with his Alpine stopped him for numerous laps, enough to allow his teammate Esteban Ocon to win.
28. Qatar GP 2021 – Favored by two penalties, Alonso started third after having qualified fifth on Saturday, and with a great pace he managed to hold on to take the 98th podium of his F1 career under the Sakhir floodlights, the first since 2014.
29. Canadian GP 2022 – In the rain and with nothing to lose, Alonso marveled once again with second position on the grid, his first starting row in 10 years. In the race he suffered several misfortunes and an engine problem and finished seventh at the finish line before falling to ninth place due to a penalty.
30. Spanish GP 2022 – After a jug of cold water in qualifying and an engine change that made him start last, he scored a race in front of his fans who once again packed the stands, to reach the points with ninth position. He defined it as a victory.