Fernando Alonso made his Formula 1 debut in 2001 and is still racing in 2026: the remarkable career of the two-time world champion
February 5, 2001, is a historic day for Fernando Alonso: it was on this day that he became a Formula 1 driver. His manager, Flavio Briatore, announced his promotion to the “premier class” of motorsport as a regular driver for Minardi in 2001.
In 2026, Alonso is still a Formula 1 driver, although he has not competed continuously in Formula 1 since his debut 25 years ago: in 2002, he was “only” a test driver for Renault, and in 2019 and 2020, he did not compete in Formula 1 at all.
In this long period since 2001, Alonso has competed for numerous Formula 1 teams, in some cases even multiple times: Minardi, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine, and Aston Martin.
Two of these teams no longer exist in this form: Minardi became Toro Rosso, now Racing Bulls; Renault became – with various stops in between – today’s Alpine. And when Alonso started, today’s Aston Martin team was still racing under the name Jordan.
Before the start of the 2026 season, Alonso has an impressive Formula 1 record: With 428 Grand Prix starts, he has competed in around a third of all World Championship races to date. In 2005 and 2006, he became Formula 1 World Champion for Renault. He has won a total of 32 Grands Prix for Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari. His last victory to date was in the 2013 season.
However, he could easily have had even more successes: in 2007, Alonso lost out on another possible world championship title after a bitter “team battle” with Formula 1 rookie Lewis Hamilton at McLaren – Kimi Räikkönen benefited from this for Ferrari. As a Ferrari driver, Alonso narrowly lost out to Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel on several occasions.
Alonso at Le Mans, Indianapolis, and the Dakar Rally
Away from Formula 1, Alonso won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice for Toyota. However, he was denied the legendary “Triple Crown” (victory at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and victory at the Indianapolis 500). Alonso proved to be fast but unlucky in his IndyCar attempts in 2017 and 2019. He finished the Dakar Rally in 13th place overall in 2020.
Before the start of the 2026 season, Alonso, at 44, will be the oldest Formula 1 driver since Graham Hill in 1975. The only winner of the ‘Triple Crown’ contested his last Grands Prix at the age of 45. If Alonso is still competing in Formula 1 in 2027, he could equal Hill’s age record—and even surpass him as the oldest Formula 1 driver of the past five decades.
