Alonso once considered retiring in 2009, but this weekend, he reaches an extraordinary 400 Grand Prix milestone.
This weekend in Mexico, Fernando Alonso will compete in his 400th Formula 1 Grand Prix – an unprecedented record, surpassing Kimi Räikkönen’s 353 races (with Lewis Hamilton close behind on 351).
Remarkably, Alonso’s F1 career could have ended as early as 2009 – fifteen years ago!
The double world champion, who signed a three-year deal with McLaren at the end of 2005, revealed that he had viewed this contract as his final stint in the sport. He planned to race for McLaren during 2007, 2008, and 2009 before hanging up his gloves.
As we know, events took a different turn. Following an internal rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, Alonso left McLaren after just one year, returning to Renault in 2008, before joining Ferrari for a five-year tenure starting in 2010.
Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, Alonso reflected on his entire career, starting with his debut in 2001 with Minardi. At the time, he certainly didn’t imagine he’d still be in F1 23 years later.
“I wasn’t really thinking about the future,” he admitted.
“I was a driver living out my dream of driving in Formula 1 for the first time. I didn’t have a clear career plan; I didn’t know exactly what my next race or team would be. I was improvising.”
“Every weekend was a new adventure.”
However, Alonso confirmed that he originally anticipated stepping away from the paddock at the end of his McLaren contract in 2009.
“What I would say is that when I won the championship in 2006 and then joined McLaren, I had a three-year contract — 2007, 2008, and 2009.”
“I was 99% sure that 2009 would be my final season in Formula 1. That was the plan, very clear in my mind. I’d won the championship in 2005, again in 2006, and I was joining McLaren for three years — in my head, that was my last contract.”
But what did Fernando Alonso plan to do if he had retired at 30? Was he considering other racing series?
“I don’t know! Maybe there wasn’t really a reason, but when I signed that three-year contract, for me, it was a long-term commitment.”
“Alright, three years might not seem long, but in my mind, it was the end, you know? I had already achieved my dream, I had won the championship twice. That was beyond my wildest dreams, becoming an F1 champion. So what more could I do here?”
“So I signed with McLaren hoping to win more titles, more races. But after F1, there was another life, and it didn’t even have to be in motorsport.”
“I thought I would have a family, do normal things, live normal days.”
“I don’t think the 19-year-old Fernando Alonso, racing with Minardi in 2001, would find these 400 Grands Prix strange because I wasn’t thinking much about the future. But by 2007, yes, it would have been a surprise.”
This weekend, Fernando Alonso will reach the milestone of 400 Grands Prix. What does that incredible figure mean to him?
“Yes, 400 — even though today the calendar is longer, with 24 races per year compared to the past — reaching 400 is still a huge number. It’s a way to show my passion for this sport and for Formula 1.”
“It doesn’t mean much to me right now because you’re focused on racing and the next weekend. But knowing that no one has reached this number before — and perhaps someone will in the future, probably Lewis Hamilton [editor’s note], but not many, maybe five or ten at most.”
“As I said, it simply reflects my love for racing, for F1, and how much I enjoy this lifestyle and motorsport in general. Even though travelling is demanding, racing makes up for all the sacrifices.”
Still as motivated in 2024?
Now over 40, how would Fernando Alonso describe his relationship with F1 today? Is he not tired of battling in the midfield with Aston Martin?
“My feelings have evolved. Yes, I’ve learned things and accepted certain realities that I didn’t embrace at different stages of my career,” he admitted.
His view of F1 has become more sombre, or perhaps more pragmatic…
“I have a sense of justice and fairness that you have to disconnect from in F1.”
“There is no justice here. There isn’t always fairness, and you just have to deal with the unique aspects of this sport.”
“There’s a lot of politics, many vested interests. Some decisions may be less about sport.”
“You have to accept it if you want to be part of this circus. You have to come to terms with certain things.”
“Otherwise, you find another category — exactly what I did in 2018. I wasn’t happy with myself, I wasn’t enjoying F1 anymore, neither on the track nor off it, with Mercedes’ domination.”
“It was just… I don’t know. I felt it was time.”
“I still loved motorsport. I still loved driving. So I decided to try the Indy 500, Le Mans, and other races. Then I returned to F1, with more enjoyment — not because F1 had changed so much, but because I accepted what Formula 1 is, and you have to take it or leave it.”
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Alonso’s 400th GP: From Near-Retirement to F1 Legend Alonso’s 400th GP: From Near-Retirement to F1 Legend
