How classic Alonso strengths are helping him in a critical F1 phase 

Fernando Alonso has been involved in F1 for over two decades and shows no signs of slowing down. BEN EDWARDS digs into the work ethic and team-building ability which underpins Alonso’s longevity

Updated Jun 8, 2022, 12:24 PM

Fernando Alonso is at a truly significant stage in his career. At Monaco he started his 340th grand prix and, after Baku, he will have surpassed Michael Schumacher’s 7764 days of involvement in Formula 1. That means more than two decades covering a debut with Minardi in 2001 to Alonso’s current status as a feisty points scorer for Alpine – and just like Schumacher there have been gaps in that career when F1 was not Fernando’s focus.

But Alonso is stepping into a longer period than anyone, whether through time or number of races. Following the Italian Grand Prix in September, assuming he competes in each scheduled race, Fernando will have equalled Kimi Räikkönen’s record of 349 grands prix started. It’s a numbers game.