Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso has truly lived a dream in the seat of a Formula1 Car. Ever since he came in to the Formula1 scene, he has set the fire to the tracks with his blazing speed and of course, his two World Championships.

Like all others in the sport, Alonso also started his career in the world of Karting. He set the stage alight with his blistering performances, ensuring that in his first season in the Spanish National Karting Championships, in 1994, he was crowned the champion of Spain. He continued his performances at a steady pace and despite not achieving much of note in 1995, he took 1996 by storm. He was crowned the Spanish National Karting Champion as well as the World Karting Champion in the same year. His blistering form continued in 1997 with his third straight Spanish title in Karting. He was beginning to look menacing and in 1998, he took part in the European Karting Championships, taking second place in his first season.

He graduated into the Euro Open series by Nissan, in 1999, and in his first season, won the championship. Alonso was setting a precedent of sorts and everything he was touching was turning to gold. He decided to move to the next level, in 2000, the FIA International Formula 3000 Championships. With the Astromega team, he managed a respectable 6th place which seemed very unnatural for someone who was accustomed to winning everything in sight.

But that was enough of an incentive for Minardi who brought the man in for the 2001 season for a Formula1 debut. Alonso became the third youngest driver to step into an F1 car when he debuted at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. His best result was a well placed 10th spot that he claimed after an impressive drive in the German Grand Prix.

Flavio Briatore, Alonso's Manager, decided to take him into Benetton to replace Jenson Button in 2002 but instead, decided to keep him as the official test driver for that season. Fernando did some major testing throughout the season and with over 1600 laps under his belt, he finally got the opportunity to race with the Renault (formerly Benetton) Formula1 Team.

In 2003, Alonso took over the role of a full time Formula1 driver with Renault and in his first season, finished at sixth place with 55 points and one win even. His 4 podium place finishes sent a strong signal out to the rest of the racing community that a new challenger was on the block, ready to take the world by storm.

His second season was even better as he finished with 59 points and an overall 4th place finish. Although he didn't win anything, in terms of races, he did have 4 podium finishes. Alonso was pushing the big guys at the top of the ladder and soon, it would be a case of another title contender joining the fray.

Come 2005 and centre stage, Mr. Fernando Alonso. With a new and more reliable car, Renault was hoping to create an impact and participate in the title race. But the hope soon turned into disbelief as Alonso ran riot with the new car. He drove like a possessed man and took 7 race wins with 15 podium finishes on his way to his First Championship title, becoming the youngest ever driver to win the Formula One Drivers' Title.

This win was no flash in the pan as he went onto repeat his feat in 2006. The season was to be Michael Schumacher's last season in Formula1 and the German was looking to leave with a bang. The battle between the Spaniard and the German was probably one of the best wheel-to-wheel drama that the sport has witnessed since Senna and Prost. The difference of the battle was that it was a young champion looking to defend his title against a legend who was on the last leg of his career and wanted one last shot at glory. Alonso played spoilsport to Schumi's farewell party as he retained his title with 7 more race wins and 14 podium places in all, for his 134 points.

With Schumi out of the way, it would seem as if there was only one name in the battle anymore, Raikkonen. Raikkonen had shifted to Ferrari and his space at McLaren was taken by Alonso who would be supported by a rookie driver, Lewis Hamilton. Alonso was looking ahead to a 2007 season where he would be fighting it out with Raikkonen for the title. But it was his young, and highly rated, team mate Hamilton who hogged the limelight with his wonderful performances that outshone Alonso. Losing the title on the last race of the season, Alonso was extremely displeased with his team's efforts and maybe even the fact that Hamilton got more attention than the two-time defending champion and at the end of 2007, he decided to move back to Renault.

Although Alonso finished at an impressive third spot, the season would be deemed a failure by the Spaniard who expects nothing but the best each time he goes out there. Despite threats of a ban in the 2007 season, faced by his team McLaren, Alonso continued to perform at his best and he would like to return to his winning ways in 2008, back with his favourite team, Renault.

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