Lhe decisions that Fernando Alonso has made throughout his career have forged a path that, possibly, has not been the most successful in F1, but that has made him one of the most successful and beloved drivers if we combine all the disciplines. that you have disputed The Spaniard closes his eyes and looks to the past with the uncertainty that it could have happened if he had faced some circumstances of his career in a different way.
The first thorn in his head is not having won a championship with Ferrari. With the Cavalino Rampante in 2012, the Spaniard offered the best performance of a pilot on an individual level. He took the Driver of the Year Award with the highest score in the history of the award and was able to get to the last race of the championship in Brazil with options. Wherever he triumphed one day, he also had to savor the bitterest side of the sport.
A look to the past
“Winning a championship with Ferrari would probably be my first choice. If I could go back in time, win in 2010 and 2012… We were a few laps away. It would have changed some results and the story behind some little things”, explains Fernando with a brief look at his past as part of the Scuderia.
Being world champion requires some personal and physical sacrifices that the Spanish pilot did not hesitate to make. Now, with the passage of time and without repudiating everything that has been lived, he values what he put aside. “Without a doubt, it would also change not having enjoyed my career and my time more. I know that I am at the end of my career, in a few years a new life will begin for me without driving”analyzes Alonso in relation to the difficulties he has encountered.
“When I look back on my career, I see a lot of good things, a lot of amazing friends and experiences, but I should have enjoyed it more,” Alonso sentences with the serenity that characterizes him. The Asturian pilot has several longevity records in his possession. More seasons in F1, more time elapsed between the first and last race, more races held, more number of laps completed, more kilometers driven…
He does not remember the two world championships with Renault
At the beginning of his career, back in 2001, he had always stated that he would not drive for a long time, a trend that has become common among other current drivers (Verstappen). Although the end is near, no one is able to glimpse when Fernando will say goodbye and more, while Aston Martin puts a competitive car in his hands. This consistently superb performance requires a concentration, sometimes even obsessive, with everything that surrounds the car.
“If I had the opportunity to live the life I want once again, it may not change anything in my teams, in my decisions or those titles with Ferrari. It would change my life a bit and try to have many more memories of my entire career”, explains Fernando, whose collection of experiences in the world of racing has to be enviable.
Memories link us to the success of the past and Fernando affirms without blinking that he cannot recall some of the most important events in his life: “I won two F1 championships in Brazil in 2005 and 2006… I don’t remember anything about that afternoon and evening and it’s really sad.”
His duel with Michael Schumacher
From his debut to the achievement of his first title, only five seasons passed. The Asturian became the youngest driver to win a world championship. A sport that had been dominated with an iron fist by Schumacher. The ‘Kiser’ imposed respect on the rest, but not on Fernando.
“Michael dominated this sport, but when I arrived I never felt that I was slower than him. Possibly because was a kamikaze I was coming to F1 at the beginning of my career, but I never had a doubt that with the same car, I could challenge him one day.”recalls Alonso about the beginning of the beautiful duel that both drivers experienced in the 2005 (Imola) and 2006 seasons.
“This is how my career was able to go so far.” A career that is still valid and in search of a three-time world championship. At the beginning of the season it seemed like a utopia, but the Asturian does not give up. In 2024 try again one more time. The way to hit the nail once is to hit the horseshoe a hundred times.
