Alonso: 41 spring, what?

This Friday, July 29, Fernando Alonso will be 41 years old as a clear example that age, for some, is nothing more than a number. There was a day when the Spaniard accumulated precocity records.

In Malaysia 2003, at the age of 21 years and 7 months, he became the youngest driver in history to achieve pole position.to get on the podium and lead a race. At Canada 2003 he was the youngest ever to achieve the fastest lap, at 21 years, 10 months and 17 days.

In the same course on August 24, 2003, he became the earliest Grand Prix winner, in Hungary, at 22 years and 26 days. Over time, those records were crushed by other great talents like Vettel or Verstappen, but remembering is important to understand the kind of emerging star that the Spaniard is in his first F1 course with Renault, before becoming in 2005 at the youngest driver in history to win the world title, at 24 years, one month and 27 daysa record so far only surpassed by two men: Vettel (23 years and 4 months) and Hamilton (23 years and 9 months).

Later will come the Oviedo’s second title (2006) and several times he would break the crown at McLaren (2007) and the three runner-up finishes he added to Ferrari. Everyone in the paddock agreed. Engineers, technicians, drivers, team leaders… no one understands that a talent like him doesn’t win more crowns. Fernando does not lose sleep. He has repeated several times that he is happier with everything he has achieved. But he likes it more.

The Spaniard now drives an Alpine, a car with which he cannot fight for victories. “I miss winning and I miss the feeling of fighting for podiums and bigger things, yes. But, at the same time, I’m also enjoying it, because it’s a challenge to try to be the best version of myself, better than I was in 2018″, pointed out the Spaniard recently, highlighting that in his second year. after his return to F1 he He already feels his best level, “like in 2012”, but with more experience than before. This is noticeable on the track, where he makes the most of his Alpine and rides with the utmost that confidence.

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Clear examples before Hamilton and Norris

An example of this is what happened last weekend. His engineer radioed him that Lando Norris and his McLaren were coming. “No problem. I want him to come to me so he can kill the wheels.”. Not only did he fear that the McLaren would pass him with DRS, but at more than 300 km/h he began to think that he wanted his rival to stick to the back of his Alpine so that in the dirty air of his car the tires of English children will further decrease. He manages the race the way he wants, playing with his rivals, keeping everything under control, as he did in Monaco this year, riding at the pace he wants without breaking a sweat under the maddening pressure from Hamilton.

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“Hamilton either didn’t have tires or he didn’t have a way to go faster and he got a little angry. But that’s what there is”Alonso said between laughs at the time. He is having fun and it shows. And he will be happier if luck is on his side a little this year. In 8 of the 12 races held so far, some problems unrelated to his driving have taken away a lot of points. And for this reason, with 37 points, in 10th position in the World Cup, 19 behind his teammate Ocon, he hopes to sign a clean second half of the course so that things fall under their own weight

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Previously, it was time to sit down after this weekend in Hungary to close the renewal at Alpine. Fernando wants to sign for two years, until he is 43. Not to walk around. Yes to continue development with the team.

From record to record

Although not very important to him, it will lead him to add more records, although this time, for longevity.

At the last Baku GP he overtook Michael Schumacher for the longest F1 race, surpassing the 21 years and 3 months the German marked between his debut appointment and his last GP. Then comes the other notes. At Silverstone he overtook Raikkonen (retired last year) as the driver with the most kilometers traveled in F1 races, with 92,684. And last weekend, at Paul Ricard he became the driver with the most laps completed, with 18,672, surpassing Kimi’s 18,621. Tomorrow he will be 41 years old with a chance to gain weight, and many, those records.

Other great records to shoot

Alonso could overtake Raikkonen at the next Singapore GP as a driver with more Grand Prix behind him. The Finn has 350 GGPP and Alonso, 346. He is within range. The record for the Grand Prix also ended: he had 275, three to Raikkonen’s 278. And more. If he finally renews with Alpine and continues in F1 next year, which is what the team and driver want, he will add his 20th season in F1 in 2023, something no one has done before. The Spaniard is tied at the top of this record with Barrichello, Schumacher, and Raikkonen, who all have 19 seasons in F1.

Those numbers will continue to grow and perhaps no one will top them. Oh yes, although it is very difficult. They will grow up like the legend of an Alonso who doesn’t care about these things. He wants to win again. That’s all that interests him. But not only him. He will continue to try as if he were a child, no matter how hard it is.