Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso Díaz (July 29th 1981, Oviedo) is a Spanish pilot of Formule 1 . He resides at Mount-on-Poker in Suisse and at Oviedo in Spain. He is affectionately called the Bull of Asturies .

Revelation of the season 2003, Fernando Alonso holds the records of younger winner of Grand Prix of Formule 1 (since its victory with the Grand Prix of Hungary 2003), younger poleman (since the Grand Prix of Malaysia 2003), young person world champion (since the Grand Prix of Brazil 2005) and younger double champion of the world (since the Grand Prix of Brazil 2006)

Its manager Flavio Briatore, allowed him to obtain a choice place at Renault F1 TEAM in 2002. However, at the end of 2005, Fernando Alonso signed at McLaren Mercedes in order to lead their F1 in 2007.

Thanks to its victories, it succeeded in popularizing the Formule 1 in Spain. There exists since 2003, true a Alonsomania in Spain.

Biography

Beginnings

Although it is resulting from a relatively modest medium, Fernando is initiated as of more the young age with the joys of the Karting, thanks to his/her father, impassioned automobile sport. It gains four times the championship of Spain of karting of junior category, in 1993, (it is then 12 years old), in 1994, 1995 and 1996. In 1996, it also gains the World cup Junior. It gains the championships Inter-HAVe Spain and of Italy in 1997. He is crowned vice-champion of Europe Inter-HAVe in 1998.

In 1999, Fernando Alonso reaches the single-seater in the championship of Formule Nissan (officially called Open Euro MoviStar by Nissan), a series in the course of internationalization, but still primarily centered on Spain. Alonso then controls for the stable of the old driver of Formula 1 Spanish (seen at Minardi) Adrian Campos; who will become his manager. For its very first season in the single-seater, Fernando Alonso gains the title. That is worth to him at the end of the year to take down a first test in Formule 1, on a Minardi. In spite of piégeuses weather conditions, Alonso very shows outset at ease and fact strong impression.

In 2000, Alonso reaches the international championship of Formule 3000, within the Astromega stable. In a discipline where the private tests are very limited, the inexperience of the young Spaniard does not enable him to play the title. But with the wire of the season, it multiplies the blows of glare, as with Barcelona, where it makes the spectacle in the heart of the group, or as on the selective layout of Spa-Francorchamps, where it takes down a victory. The services of Alonso in F3000 do not escape Flavio Briatore (then sport director of the stable Benetton, recently repurchased by Renault), which hastens to take it under its wing while making him sign a contract of long-term management.

First steps Formulate 1 of them

Too much young person and inexperienced to be integrated as of 2001 into the stable Benetton - Renault, Alonso “is placed” by Briatore in the Minardi team. It is the third younger pilot of the history to be begun in Formula 1 when it carries out his beginnings with the Grand Prix of Australia 2001. If the lack of competitiveness of the Italian single-seaters condemns Alonso to fight in bottom of grid, it does not carry out of them less beautiful performances taking into account the material it has. Its season is thus a success of regard which confirms its potential. For 2002, Briatore estimates however that a second season in bottom of grid would not be very formative, and he prefers to withdraw it starting grids to make the pilot-tester of Renault of it, in the shade of the holders Jarno Trulli and Jenson Button. It should be noted that in spring 2002, Renault accepts that Alonso also carries out a test on behalf of the British stable Jaguar Racing (where it produces better stopwatches that the usual test pilots of Jaguar which are James Courtney and André Lotterer). For the engineers of Renault, the work of Alonso for the development of a single-seater is such as in July 2002, its stable announces its establishment as from the season 2003 to replace Jenson Button.

Establishment at Renault

At the beginning of the season 2003, Fernando Alonso is powerful. He is recognized like one of the fastest pilots of the plate. To the GP de Malaisie, second sleeve of the season, it goes up on its first podium after having taken down the pole-position (becoming thus young person poleman of the history of F1 in front of Rubens Barrichello). Then, in Hungary, it gains its first GP and beats the record of precocity of Bruce McLaren which went back to 1959. It finishes the season in the sixth place of general classification, with 55 points.

Very awaited in 2004, more especially as Renault do not cease progressing, Alonso disappoints a little and seems to reach a maximum, as its performances prove it, lower than those of Jarno Trulli on the first part of season (it is the Italian pilot besides which gains in Monaco the only victory of the year of Renault). But on second half of season, while the performances of Renault are in freefall and that Jarno Trulli loses foot (what will be worth to him to be dismissed and replaced by Jacques Villeneuve for the last sleeves), Alonso returns regularly in the points and secures a fourth place with the final classification.

In 2005, on the impetus of a profitable trial run winter, Alonso and Renault are announced like credible candidates with the world title. Thanks to beginning of the season almost perfect (during which it connects the victories and takes in-house an ascending Net on its team-member Giancarlo Fisichella), Alonso can manage its second part of season, and control the return of Kimi Räikkönen, its main competitor at the wheel of the McLaren - Mercedes. In Brazil, antepenultimate sleeve of the season, it takes down the world title thus, becoming at 24 years youngest world champion of the history of Formula 1 (the preceding record belonged to Emerson Fittipaldi). This year there, the Renault was less powerful than McLaren but more reliable, and Alonso had known stage with that by an intelligence of race consisting in mainly putting the pressure on Räikkönen so that this one forces on its mechanics and breaks, the most significant example being located at Nurburgring where Kimi carried out all the race, with a very broad advance, but gave up in the last turn.

Always at Renault in 2006, Alonso quickly takes the head of the championship of the world, with 6 victories at the time of first half of season. It shows in that the premature advertisement (December 2005) of its future arrival at McLaren for the season 2007 does not disturb its collaboration with Renault. But the return in form of the Scuderia Ferrari and Michael Schumacher announces a tight end of championship. By finishing 2nd last Large-Price, it ensures nevertheless its 2nd world title Formulates 1 of them front Michael Schumacher. The German having given up, driving broken, at the time of the penultimate sleeve in Japan, losing thus almost all chances of titles, the scenario of the former season, with Renault slower but more reliable, was repeated.

A new challenge with McLaren

Fernando Alonso, provided with its N°1 and its two championships of the world, joined the stable McLaren, to dispute the championship 2007 at the wheel of a “money arrow” of Ron Refusals. It acts for the young Spanish wonder of a real challenge, insofar as the Anglo-German stable did not gain anything during the season 2006, because of the lack of competitiveness and the problems of reliability encountered by MP4-21, which discouraged the Colombia N Juan Pablo Montoya, left ressourcer in NASCAR and the Finnish Kimi Räikkönen, which found refuge in the still hot bucket of Michael Schumacher at Ferrari.

In a maintenance with the English daily newspaper Daily Mail published the February 19th 2007 Fernando explains the reasons which pushed it to join McLaren:

It is a child's dream. When I was small, my heroes were Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna and I saw them controlling of McLaren. I also played with McLaren small cars. Then, to become pilot for this stable is a dream which becomes réalité.

This “sentimental” explanation seeming to him cannot be sufficiently serious, in particular with respect to its former team, the double champion of the world took care to add:

I needed a challenge, I needed motivation, in my career and my life. I started to weary me. I considering and all had known all with Renault. I knew how the car worked, I knew my job and I knew people who worked with me. I had the impression to still make the same things still and. It was like eating the same dish of paella every evening. I felt old at 25 years. I wanted to feel me again young person.

It is thus indeed about a real challenge that Fernando Alonso launched out, challenge which is not without pointing out that of Michael Schumacher, leaving at the end of the season 1995 the stable Benetton with which he had just obtained, him also, two championships of the world, to join a Scuderia Ferrari which did not have any more results since strong a long time. Strange parallel enters the steps of these two multiple champions. Will Alonso be able to federate energies to remake McLaren a gaining stable, as knew to do it the German pilot at Ferrari, with the success which one knows?

2007 will bring a beginning of answer. The money arrows found their superb. Speed certainly, but also a reliability which was lacking with the team since years. As of the second race of the season, Fernando gains the GP de Malaisie in front of its fellow-member Lewis Hamilton in spite of Ferrari which left favorite, after the exploit of Kimi Räikkönen with Melbourne. It is the first doubled of the stable McLaren since 2005, there will be two of them other, with Monaco and Monza in the stronghold of Ferrari, and the victorious Spaniard will take again the head of the championship thanks to his 2nd victory in Principality, in front of his fellow-member Lewis Hamilton who in spite of his young age will not let himself any count and will include it in the races to come and will widen even a gap which will culminate at 14 points after the Grand Prix of France. The reaction will not delay, and two races later, with between-others one 3rd victory with the Nürburgring out of pocket thanks to its address under the rain, the Spaniard had totaled two points of its team-member.

Successes of its young fellow-member Lewis Hamilton - three victories, ten podiums and leader of the championship after eleven races - placed Fernando Alonso in an uncomfortable position within the stable. The tension, which was palpable between the two pilots McLaren for some time, was transformed into true open war at the time of GP of Hungary. At the time of the qualifications, whereas it was going to leave the stands to spring for its last turn, the double champion of the world delayed (voluntarily?) its departure of a few seconds, to thus block its own fellow-member and preventing it from carrying out the last timed turn, while itself was going to gather the pole position. The TRUSTED considered this behavior antisportif and did not fail to sanction Alonso by retrogressing the Spanish pilot, who had however carried out best time, in sixth position on the starting grid. Hamilton, in a maintenance with BBC pretended to be astonished by the attitude of its fellow-member in his connection: “He does not speak to me any more, he is unaware of me. I have good hope that it speaks again me and I do not hold rigor of it to him. It is him which decides, but if he wants to speak to me I am open. ” As for the owner of the British stable, Ron Dennis, which had formerly to manage the very conflict relations between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, it recognizes, also with the microphone of the BBC, which this conflict is difficult to manage: “It is one difficult period… There is much tension between the two pilots. They are young, have an incredible thirst to gain and carry out the championship. ” This situation not appearing to have to improve from here the end of the season, Alonso seems to plan to leave McLaren for the next season. With the question “will you Remain at McLaren the next season? ”, he answered laconically: “one will see! ”, an answer full with bitterness which translates its aggravation in front of this competition until it did not wait also hard. Ron Dennis however declared that if Fernando wanted to leave it could do it in spite of the contract which binds them for the 5 years to come.

At the time of the Grand Prix of Japan, disputed on the circuit of the Mount Fuji under a beating rain, Fernando seriously compromises its chances to gain a third consecutive world title. It is, for the first time of the season, constrained with the abandonment - following an accident - and sees its fellow-member and rival Lewis Hamilton gaining her fourth victory of the season and taking the broad one with the classification championship of the world. With two races of the end, Fernando counts 12 points of delay on Hamilton. The Large-Price of China could have seen its last hopes of title flying away in smoke with the profit of its fellow-member. Hamilton, left the pole, indeed carries out the race on a train of hell, under the Chinese drops, when it is found suddenly in delicacy with its tires; McLaren is long in pointing out it to change them and the English, slipping during his braking to return to the stands, leaves in the gravels and does not manage to set out again. All benefit for Alonso, which, by finishing second behind Kimi Räikkönen after being débarassé of Felipe Massed, returns at only four points of its fellow-member before the final sleeve, with the Brésil.

But in Brazil, if he arrives, thanks to the febrility and with the engine trouble of Lewis Hamilton, to return to the height of this last to the classification, he cannot prevent fault of a sufficiently fast car the sacring of World champion of Kimi Räikkönen.

Fernando Alonso thus finishes third of the Championnat of the world of Formula 1 2007.

Chronology of an announced rupture

. December 15th, 2006: first turns of wheels of Fernando Alonso in its McLaren-Mercedes news. After having announced during the 2006 qu season ' it would leave the Renault stable, with which it gained two championships of the world of the pilots, the Spaniard left the French team in very good terms and discovers its new mounting.

. April 8th, 2007: first victory of Alonso with McLaren. After having taken the second place of the opening stroke in Australia, the pilot of Oviedo gains the second test of the season, the Grand Prix of Malaysia with Sepang. “To gain today after having finished second in Australia with my new stable, it is like a dream become reality”, is delighted it then. Three other successes will follow, in Monaco on May 27th, Nurburgring on July 22nd and Monza on September 9th.

. June 10th, 2007: first victory of the fellow-member of Alonso, the British Lewis Hamilton, who are essential on Canada, and first signs of tension. Two days after a Grand Prix of a little insane Canada, the Spaniard announces his discomfort: “Since the beginning, I am not at all at ease. I am with an English fellow-member who walks very well, in an English team, and we know that all the support of the team and all helps are for him”, affirms it after his disappointing 7th place in Montreal. The following day, the managor of the stable, Ron Refusals, insists: its two pilots are treated equitably. Hamilton, it, say “surprised” remarks of Alonso.

. July 4th, 2007: between the Grands Prix of France and Great Britain, the International federation of the car (TRUSTED) opens an investigation after the revelation of a business of espionage between McLaren and Ferrari.

. August 4th, 2007: Alonso “bouchonne” Hamilton during the qualifications of the Grand Prix of Hungary. The British refuses an instruction of team having to support the Spaniard, who has then justice by blocking his fellow-member in the stands, thus preventing it from buckling an ultimate fast tower. Being considered in its right good, Alonso is however penalized of five places on the grid and McLaren sees private its points manufacturers of Budapest. Ron Dennis shows its dissension openly, the two pilots are definitively scrambled and the internal tension at McLaren increases by a notch. After the Grand Prix, Alonso clearly affirms with the Spanish press that it “does not know” if it will remain at McLaren at the end of the season.

. September 7th, 2007: in margin of the Grand Prix of Italy with Monza, the president of TRUSTED, max Mosley, announces that “new elements” concerning the business of espionage opposing Ferrari to McLaren come from pilots of the latter. Fernando Alonso and the Spanish pilot of reserve Pedro of Rosa is aimed.

. September 13rd, 2007: in call, the World council of the FIÀ withdraws at McLaren-Mercedes all the points acquired manufacturer this season and inflicts to him a fine record of 100 million dollars (70 million euros approximately). Alonso is not for nothing in this sanction: in a damning testimony, with load against its stable, he admitted having taken knowledge of confidential technical data of Ferrari, that of which the FIÀ had the proof by the existence of e-mail. However, in spite of these revelations, Alonso avoids any penalty, contrary to its stable, heavily sanctioned.

. October 21st, 2007: Alonso takes the third place of the Grand Prix of Brazil, last test of the season, but loses its world crown: with the classification of the pilots it finishes third, behind the Finn Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) and his Hamilton fellow-member.

. November 2nd, 2007: the Spaniard announces his departure of the McLaren stable, “by mutual agreement”. He did not say anything of his next destination. Renault would dream to recover it but does not seem to be its priority. Could Alonso, 26 years, control the next season in a less prestigious stable (Red Bull?) before rebounding at Ferrari.

Season 2008?

In disgrace in its own team, Ron Refusals having chosen to treat its pilots with equality for the title pilots, certain rumors indicated that Fernando Alonso could return in the team with whom it obtained her titles, namely Renault. Spanish however declared that “it is not its first option”.

The November 2nd, its representative announces with the Spanish national radio (RNE) that it breaks his contract with the stable McLaren and that Fernando was free of going in the team of its choice.

Red Bull and Toyota was shown interested, like Renault. Spanish should slice soon.

Polemics and incidents having enamelled the career of Fernando Alonso

Grand Prix of Europe 2003 - In end of the road, Coulthard returns on Fernando Alonso. The Scot about to overflow the Renault pilot is made trap by an anticipated braking of the Spanish pilot and leaves the track before giving up.
Grand Prix of Hungary 2006 - During the free tests, Alonso in track returns on the test pilot of Red Bull: Robert Doornbos. Alonso estimating to be constrained, exceeds it before slowing down brutally in front of him, lack to create an accident. TRUSTED gives an opinion and decides to withdraw 2 seconds at its best time of the qualifications: 1 second of penalty for behavior anti-sportsman and 1 second additional for going beyond under yellow flag.
Grand Prix of Hungary 2007 - Better provisional time at the time of the last part of the qualifications, Fernando Alonso is long in starting again after having fitted its last set of tires. That causes to prevent its fellow-member Lewis Hamilton, wedged behind him, to buckle an ultimate fast tower. Alonso will be voluntarily defended to have gene its fellow-member, explaining to have made only obey its team. TRUSTED will withdraw its pole position to him by sanctioning it of 5 places on the grid for behavior anti-sportsman, while its stable will be private of its points marked with the championship of the manufacturers. The truth is difficult namely: indeed, Alonso could not know time remaining in the meeting, itself having crossed the starting line/arrived only at a few seconds of the end.
Championship of the world of Formula 1 2007 - the season is disturbed by a business of espionage, the McLaren stable being shown to have used confidential technical data belonging to Scuderia Ferrari. At the conclusion of a procedure of several weeks, TRUSTED it will prove that several members of the McLaren team, whose Fernando Alonso, had used the data of Ferrari while being informed of their fraudulent source. Having collaborated under pressure in the investigation of TRUSTED, Alonso will not be sanctioned, contrary to its stable, penalized of 100 million $ and downgraded championship of the manufacturers.

Private life

It maintains a relation with the singer Raquel del Rosario. But in an official mail, he contradicted to be himself married with her with the Maldives. According to the press, his/her father wants that they wait one year.

Hobbies

Football (it considered young person one career of footballer), sport on TV, cinema, data processing. He likes the magic, this passion comes to him from his large father, Constantino.

Statistics Formulates 1 of them

( After the Grand Prix of Belgium 2007 )

Many seasons in F1: 6

Participations in F1 : 102

Grands Prix disputés' : 101

Victories : 19 ( is 18,63% )

marked Points : 476

Average of points by GP: 4,66 points'
Average of points per season: 79,33 points'

Pole positions : 17 ( is 16,67% )

Départ in first line : 26 ( is 25,49% )

Second place in Grand Prix : 17 ( is 16,67% )

Third place in Grand Prix : 11 ( is 10,78% )

Meilleurs turns : 11 ( is 10,78% )

Podiums : 47 ( is 46,08% )

In the points : 69 ( is 67,65% )

Nombre races while having carried out : 47 ( is 46,08% )

Tours at the head : : 1158 ( is 20,67% of the traversed turns )

km at the head : : 5544 ( is 20,67% of the traversed km )

traversed Tours : : 5602

traversed km : : 27231

Hats trick ( Victoire/Pole position/Better turn ): 3 ( is 2,94% )

Abandons : 23 ( is 22,55% )

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Beginnings in F1 : 2001 - Grand Prix of Australia, on the circuit of Melbourne, the March 4th 2001 - ( Result: 12th ).

First victory : 2003 - Grand Prix of Hungary, on the circuit of Hungaroring, the August 24th 2003 by taking a turn with M.schumacher

First pole position : 2003 - Grand Prix of Malaysia, on the circuit of Sepang, the March 23rd 2003

Results in championship of the world of Formula 1

Victories in Championship of the world of Formula 1

( Updated after the Grand Prix of Italy 2007 )

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to note : There remain only four circuits registered with the calendar of the championship of the world 2007 on which Fernando Alonso was not essential yet:

Spa-Francorchamps ( GP of Belgium ),
Interlagos ( GP of Brazil ),
Indianapolis ( GP of the United States ),
Istanbul ( GP of Turkey )

Results in other disciplines

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