Fernando Alonso
|
|
Template:F1 driver Fernando Alonso (b. Oviedo, Spain, July 29, 1981) is a Spanish Formula One racing driver, currently living in Oxford.
| Contents |
Early years
A native of Oviedo, Alonso is a long time veteran of karting; he won three Spanish Karting Titles (1994, 1996 and 1997); he was the World Junior Karting champion in 1996; and he raced in the European Kart championship, placing second.
In 1999, Alonso made the jump to open-wheel cars, racing the Spanish Nissan Open series. Then only 18 years old, he became the series champion, immediately earning him a ticket to Formula 3000 in 2000. A win at Spa-Francorchamps highlighted a very solid fourth place in the drivers championship, and Alonso was off for Formula One in 2001.
Formula One years
Alonso_usgp_2004_pits.jpg
Alonso was the third-youngest driver in F1 history to start a race when he made his debut with Minardi at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. While the car was not highly competitive, Alonso did a sturdy job, occasionally out-qualifying better-equipped opponents, yet failed to score a point his rookie season.
His driving talents earned him a spot with the newly-christened Renault team in 2002 as a test driver; the team groomed him to be a regular driver in 2003. With a much better car than in his first F1 stint, Alonso became the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One pole position at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix; he also became the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One race at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. At season's end, he was a solid sixth in the championship, with 55 points and four podiums.
Alonso remained with Renault for the 2004 season, and although he did not win any race, Alonso did confirm his status as one of the leading drivers in Formula One. He ended the year a career-best fourth in the championship standings, scoring 59 points and four podiums. His performances in the latter races of the year were particularly noteworthy, as he comprehensively outpaced his new teammate (1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, who replaced Jarno Trulli for the final three races of the season.)
Fernando's success has spawned "Alonsomania" in Spain, as he has become the country's first successful Formula One driver.
2005
For the 2005 championship season, he is joined by Italian Giancarlo Fisichella. He finished third in the first race in Australia. In the second race of the season in Malaysia he got pole position and easily won the race. Alonso repeated this form in the season's third race, winning the Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position, and continued his good form with a close win over Michael Schumacher in the San Marino Grand Prix. However, he did not win at his home grand prix in front of his fans, finishing second after Kimi Raikkonen. Two weeks later, the tide of the championship began to turn as Raikkonen won again at Monaco while Alonso finished in fourth place. However, Alonso fought back and won the European GP at the Nürburgring after Räikkönen crashed out in spectacular fashion whilst leading on the final lap. The Canadian Grand Prix was not as successful for Alonso (or Renault, for that matter) - in part, due to mechanical difficulties during the race. Alonso led the race briefly after his teammate's car failed to finish the race, but Alonso himself retired soon after; crashing into the wall and damaging his suspension, after coming under pressure from the McLarens of Montoya and Raikkonen, and making a mistake. It was his first retirement of the year. At the US GP, due to safety concerns over the Michelin tyres, Alonso (as all the other Michelin drivers) did not start.
Podiums and wins
- 2001
- (None)
- 2003
- 2004
- Australian Grand Prix 3rd
- French Grand Prix 2nd
- German Grand Prix 3rd
- Hungarian Grand Prix 3rd
- 2005
Formula One career results
- 2001 - Minardi-European - 0 wins, 0 points (finished unclassified)
- 2003 - Renault - 1 win, 55 points, 2 poles (finished 6th)
- 2004 - Renault - 0 wins, 59 points, 1 pole (finished 4th)
- 2005 - Renault - 4 wins, 59 points, 2 pole (in progress)
See also
External links
- The official site for Fernando Alonso (http://www.fernandoalonso.com/DEFAULT2_i.cfm?seccion=0)
| Constructors and drivers competing in the 2005 Formula One championship: | |||||||||
| Ferrari | BAR | Renault | Williams | McLaren | Sauber | Red Bull | Toyota | Jordan | Minardi |
| 1 M Schumacher 2 Barrichello | 3 Button 4 Sato | 5 Alonso 6 Fisichella | 7 Webber 8 Heidfeld | 9 Räikkönen 10 Montoya | 11 Villeneuve 12 Massa | 14 Coulthard 15 Klien | 16 Trulli 17 R Schumacher | 18 Monteiro 19 Karthikeyan | 20 Friesacher 21 Albers |
be:Фэрнанда Алонса bg:Фернандо Алонсо cs:Fernando Alonso de:Fernando Alonso et:Fernando Alonso es:Fernando Alonso fr:Fernando Alonso it:Fernando Alonso nl:Fernando Alonso pl:Fernando Alonso ja:フェルナンド・アロンソ fi:Fernando Alonso sv:Fernando Alonso zh:费尔南多·阿隆索