AS Fernando Alonso looks to make his way back into Formula 1, we take a look at his illustrious career and why it might be difficult for the Spaniard to get a seat for 2021.
At the end of 2007, his volatile time at McLaren came to an abrupt end, which saw him rejoin Renault. They would concoct an outrageous plan to help Fernando to a race win and so the debacle known as Crashgate was born.
At the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, Nelson Piquet Jr was ordered to crash to bring out the safety car. Alonso’s strategy was organised around the ‘crash’ and he went on to win the race as a result. Years later, well after the plot was revealed, Alonso was asked if he still felt that the ‘win’ in Singapore was legitimate. He said yes without blinking.
He joined Ferrari in 2010 with the great expectation of winning a title, or two, with the famed Italian team. The championship never materialised, but several controversies did. In 2010 he demanded to be let into the lead by teammate Felipe Massa, which spawned the famous “Fernando is faster than you” radio message. Rumours persisted of a tension within the squad stemming from Alonso’s side of the garage. Alonso left Ferrari at the end of 2014 to rejoin McLaren.
The partnership between McLaren and Honda promised much but delivered dismally little. In Hungary, when asked what he would like for his birthday, he answered “a different car”.
Alonso left McLaren and the sport at the conclusion of the 2018 season. In 2019, he recovered significantly to finish fourth in the constructor’s standings, well clear of the works Renault team.
Given his history in the sport, it is difficult to see a path back for Alonso. The door is firmly closed at Mercedes and Ferrari looks well set for the future with Charles Leclerc. By claiming to have turned down an offer from Red Bull, which the team denies, he has burned his bridges there too, and it is unlikely that Honda would be supportive of his return.
With the top three team’s doors firmly closed the only other viable option could be at Haas.
There is little doubt that Alonso was one of the quickest drivers of his generation. But that speed comes coupled with the demand that all the team’s attention and resources be focused solely on him and the potential for a tense garage. With most midfield looking for a pairing who can work together to push the team up the grid, it just doesn’t seem a good deal to sign up someone as contentious as Fernando Alonso.
