2003, 2013, 2023… The logical sequence suggests that this year, yes, that it is his turn. Every decade, an anniversary. This August 24, 2023, coinciding with the return of the World Cup in Verstappen territory after the summer holidays, Fernando Alonso is celebrating: he celebrates 20 years of his first victory in Formula 1.
Since then, the Asturian who broke a sporting frontier – no Spaniard had managed to win in the motorsport elite in 54 years of championship – catapulted himself as a benchmark, was a two-time world champion and put 31 more victories in his pocket. But the 33 awaits for a decade.
The first came on August 24 at the Hungaroring, in the second season of the Oviedo driver as a starter in F-1. He had made his debut in 2001 with Minardi, he was a tester for a year with Renault, and in 2003, Flavio Briatore, who was both his manager and director of the diamond team, gave him the steering wheel that Jenson Button left when he went to BAR- Sling. The Asturian quickly responded to the confidence and expectations he had created: already in the second Grand Prix, in Malaysia, he signed his first pole position, his first podium and his first race lead –the youngest in history in all three cases– ; in the third (Brazil), another podium, with a big scare due to a collision against the wall that could have cost him his life (he was lucky for HANS, the cervical protector); in the next race, Spain, the blue tide was unleashed and his third podium came… The semi-rookie was already third in the World Cup, behind Schumacher and the leader Räikkönen.
A series of breakdowns (Austria, France and Silverstone) ended his streak, he dropped to 6th place in the championship, but after the summer break he returned strongly in Hungary, on a track considered to be hands-on, where riding is more measured than mechanics: he took pole position and victory. He beat Kimi and Montoya, who were on the heels of then leader Schumacher, doubled by Fernando that day.
Alonso became another pioneer of the sport in Spain, as had been Ballesteros, Santana, Nieto or Martín Bahamontes, by achieving the impossible in a minority discipline with little tradition. His triumph was a historic achievement, as La Vanguardia headlined on its cover. And as observed by his contemporaries. “His first victory for him meant for all of Spain to understand that you could also win in F-1. Until then it was unthinkable, because the F-1 was a private preserve, above all for Anglo-Saxons and Germans, ”Pedro de la Rosa explains to this newspaper.
For the Barcelona expilot, ambassador of Aston Martin, that triumph “meant a change of mentality, it was something historic, like a revelation. Just as we now remember the first World Cup in 2010, that victory was a change in trend and paradigm” for the Spanish.
For Alonso it was a letter of introduction as a potential champion. His precocity foreshadowed it: he set a record as the youngest winner in history at 22 years and 26 days. A record that he would maintain for five seasons… until Sebastian Vettel appeared and won in Italy’08 at the age of 21 years and 73 days. Only two other drivers in these 20 years have surpassed him in winning precocity: Max Verstappen in 2016, aged 18 years, 7 months and 15 days, and Charles Leclerc in 2019, aged 21 years, 10 months and 16 days.
“The best is yet to come; Fernando is a perfect machine for this job. When he said it, people freaked out, nobody believed me. You just had to give it time. In the next generation, the Alonso effect is going to be noticeable”, correctly predicted its discoverer and first manager Adrián Campos.
The second victory was late in coming –until the 2005 academic year–, but the first opened a golden age that lasted a decade; 10 years of victories (except in 2004 and 2009) that were cut short in his frustrated journey with Ferrari. At the 2013 Spanish GP, Alonso tasted his last win. Since then he has been searching for the 33rd, which he pursues with renewed hope this year with Aston Martin.
Despite going 10 years without a victory in their mouths, only two drivers have surpassed Alonso in the ranking of wins, Hamilton (103) and Verstappen (45). The Asturian is the 7th most winner in history. And he will last for years. When active, those who come closest to him are Bottas (10), Ricciardo (8) and Pérez (6).
