Fernando Alonso is set to achieve a unique milestone during the Grand Prix weekend in Mexico: the Spaniard will be starting his four hundredth race in Formula 1. The Aston Martin driver takes this opportunity to reflect on his time in the premier class, and shares what he misses from the early days of his lengthy F1 career.
Alonso made his debut in the premier class of motorsport in 2001, and has since been at the start of a considerable number of races. The Grand Prix in Mexico will even mark Alonso’s four hundredth race start. However, the Spaniard reveals that this unique milestone doesn’t particularly interest him.
“It’s of course nice and I acknowledge the number, but some of these statistics don’t really interest you,” Alonso admits, speaking to PlanetF1. “I would gladly trade half of the four hundred races for another championship win, or more race wins. Those are the important statistics you want to achieve.
Fernando Alonso’s passion for racing, even after more than two decades, is noticeable to his colleagues. “Fernando breathes racing, eats racing, wakes up with racing,” Esteban Ocon shares during a press conference when the topic of the Spanish driver comes up. Ocon and Alonso were teammates at the French Alpine team from 2021 to 2023, so the Frenchman knows the driver well. “When he has free time, he just goes karting. He just always wants to drive and race.”
Changes in the Racing World
The Spaniard hopes that he can celebrate his 400th race with a good race weekend on Mexican soil. “I’m not cheering for the next 400 because that will never happen, but at least for forty or fifty more in the next two years,” reveals Alonso, indicating that he plans to stay in Formula 1 for the foreseeable future.
Since Alonso’s debut in Formula 1, there have been some changes in the sport. According to the Aston Martin driver, it is now much more comfortable for a driver to control an F1 car, and the teams are more professional these days. However, there are also things from his early days that Alonso misses. “Refuelling. Fast cars on Sunday. The sound of the engine. Bigger sponsors. Grid girls. Grid boys,” the Spaniard lists. “Now everything revolves around social media. In the past, it was more in the real world.”
