Has Fernando Alonso Won His Home Race at the Spanish GP?

Fernando Alonso is undoubtedly one of the most talented drivers F1 has ever seen. However, numbers don’t do justice to his talent. While winning two world championships is no mean feat, surely his abilities are worth a lot more than that. It’s not just us saying it, many experts believe that some unwise career decisions hampered his development. After all, he’s the man who broke Michael Schumacher‘s 5 consecutive title-winning streak by becoming the youngest F1 champion back in 2005. During his dominant days, the Spaniard made winning Grand Prix look like a cakewalk. But has he ever won on his own home soil?

When Alonso decided to make a switch from Alpine to Aston Martin, many doubted his decision. That is because Alpine looked like it was on a path to an upward trajectory finishing 4th in the championship. Meanwhile, Aston only managed a 7th-place finish among the 10 constructors. It was touted to be another one of Fernando’s bizarre career decisions but the results are until now proving otherwise.

The AMR23, Aston Martin’s 2023 car, has made a name for itself for its downforce-generating capabilities. The car is among the fastest on the grid in corners, including the slower ones. Alonso has made the most of it by finishing on the podium 4 times out of 5 races, but no win so far. This characteristic of the car, many believe, could help him win on the tracks like Monaco and Barcelona. The Monte Carlo fixture is scheduled for next week and the one in Spain the week following that.

Fernando Alonso’s Dominant Spanish GP Masterclass in 2006 & 2013

2006 was a magical year for Fernando Alonso. He had already made a name for himself by winning the championship a year ago with Renault defeating the mighty Michael Schumacher in Ferrari. This time, once again, the French team gave him a car worthy enough to defend his title. In a season of 18 races, Alonso took the top step of the podium 6 times. Meanwhile, Schumacher came out victorious 7 times ahead of him but ultimately fell short by 13 points for the title. The second half of the season was far from ideal for Alonso but the work put into the first half proved to be enough for him to hold on to his title.

The Spanish GP that year was one of the most epic battles between the duo. Alonso took the pole position in Qualifying ahead of his teammate Giancarlo Fisichella and got off to a great start on race day. He exchanged the front position a couple of times with the German legend owing to the pit stops. But a strategic genius on Renault’s part and some heroics of the Spaniard on the track made sure he gave the crowd what they came for. To see one of their own take the top spot and spray the winning champagne. Fernando became the first Spaniard to do that on his home turf.

The outing in 2013 wasn’t as easy as the one in 2006. Fernando was driving an ailing Ferrari and started the race in Barcelona in P5. He exceeded expectations on the race start after first overtaking Kimi Raikkonen and then Lewis Hamilton on the first lap. The track temperatures put the drivers into difficult positions as the top-3, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso pitted by lap 10. Alonso pitted a lap earlier than the top-2 and made significant ground when they boxed. That made it easy for him to collect Vettel’s Red Bull. Soon enough, he was on Rosberg’s tail and a brilliant move from the outside gave him the race lead.

Read More: Weeks After Breakup With Andrea Schlager, Fernando Alonso Cites Reasons for Not Having a Family Yet: “The Biggest Dream”

Alonso’s third pit stop gave Raikkonen the lead but the Iceman could not hold the man with the fresher tires for too long. The move was enough to give Alonso the lead and hold on to it until the end. Sadly, that wasn’t just his last Spanish GP win, but his last GP win overall. It’s been 10 years since.

Fernando Alonso’s Best F1 Race in his Other Home Race at Valencia 2012

The 2012 European GP took place in Valencia. Obviously, it was time for the Spanish fans to rejoice as they got not one, but two fixtures on their turf. It also turned out to be an outing to remember for the Asturian driver, who triumphed despite starting from as far back as P11.

There was a lot of work to put in to get to the top and he needed luck on his side. That is exactly what he did, that is exactly what he got. The home talent made some smooth, and some audacious overtakes including the one on Michael Schumacher driving a Mercedes. Bruno Senna and Kobayashi ahead of him crashed into each other, ending Bruno’s race. An inside-line attack on Paul di Resta took Fernando in P4. Later, a daredevil outside-line move on Romain Grosjean gave him P2, just one place behind Vettel.

Watch This Story: Does Fernando Alonso Believe He Can be a 3-time World Champion?

Finally, the race leader suffered a failure which gave Alonso the lead. Soon enough, Grosjean too DNF’d. That lead gave Fernando his 19th Grand Prix victory. Shift your gaze to the present day and he has a very real chance of winning in Spain once again. Yes, the threat from the Red Bull duo is immense but he will have to give it his all to end the win drought.