During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix of the 2022 season, one of the most impressive records in history will be broken and one that will surely take many years to beat. Fernando Alonso, who returned to Formula 1 after two courses in which he dedicated his time to other categories and challenging himself in the Indianapolis 500, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Dakar Rally, will become the pilot with greater distance between his debut and his most recent race, and it is that the last one cannot be said since, for the moment, he will continue with the colors of Alpine.
The two-time world champion made his debut in the Grand Circus at the inaugural event in 2001 in Australia, at just 19 years old, and he did so aboard a very uncompetitive Minardi PS01 , but with which he managed to reach 12th position. Since then, the Spaniard has participated in 341 tests in the highest category of motorsport, and in Baku he will break the record held by Michael Schumacher of 21 years and 3 months between his first race in Belgium in 1991 and his last in Brazil in 2012, which which corresponds to 7,763 days.
In this way, between its premiere in Melbourne and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this season, 7,772 days will have passed for the two-time world champion with Renault. Very few could dream of this figure, and it is that it represents more than half of the total life of the Alpine rider, who is still chasing his third title before he is the last of a generation to say goodbye, since only he was in the category before 2007.
Drivers with the longest distance between their first and last race in Formula 1
| No. | Name | Distance | Great prizes | ||
| 1 | Michael Schumacher | 21 years and 3 months | Belgium 1991 | – | Brazil 2012 |
| two | Fernando Alonso | 21 years, 2 months and 25 days | Australia 2001 | – | Monaco 2022 |
| 3 | Kimi raikkonen | 20 years, 9 months and 8 days | Australia 2001 | – | Abu Dhabi 2021 |
| 4 | Rubens Barrichello | 18 years, 8 months and 13 days | South Africa 1993 | – | Brazil 2011 |
| 5 | Jenson Button | 17 years, 2 months and 16 days | Australia 2000 | – | monaco 2017 |
