The journey of Fernando Alonso in the latter part of his Formula 1 career has largely revolved around reflecting on his fortune, and amidst the shifts between more favorable times and the more frequent challenging periods, he’s come to the realization that a duration exceeding a decade without securing an F1 victory “just doesn’t seem right”.
The two-time champion’s most recent F1 triumph dates back to the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, marking his 32nd in the championship, as opportunities to claim a 33rd have been infrequent, to say the least.
The subsequent years were defined by machinery unequipped to pose a threat for wins: the 2014 Ferrari represented a regression following the introduction of the V6 turbo-hybrid engine configuration, and his move to McLaren – enticed by the lure of joining a Honda works outfit – proved catastrophic. Even the team’s transition to Renault engines in 2018 did little to propel the team forward, given that the chassis division had lost sight of its objectives.
Consequently, Alonso decided to step away from F1, a decision that evolved into a two-year hiatus. He made his return to the championship in 2021, taking Daniel Ricciardo’s place as Renault transitioned into Alpine; although he wasn’t personally in contention for a win, he did contribute to ensuring Esteban Ocon secured his maiden victory at that year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, Alonso’s reservations about Alpine began to intensify. A string of powertrain problems throughout the 2022 season prompted the Spaniard to switch to Aston Martin – Sebastian Vettel’s departure left a vacant seat. While 2023 commenced promisingly, with the Dan Fallows-designed AMR23 being the sole car capable of rivaling Red Bull’s illustrious RB19, frequent podium finishes didn’t quite pave the way towards a race victory.
Many believe that the Monaco race of that year represented Aston’s prime opportunity for a win, but an unfortunate decision to opt for slick tyres just before rainfall extinguished any remaining prospects of victory. Alonso had to settle for second place behind Max Verstappen and, in the years that followed, has referred to himself as potentially the unluckiest driver in F1. Numerous individuals without championships, wins, or even points might challenge that assertion – yet it’s equally valid to acknowledge that Alonso’s talent hasn’t always been fully utilized.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23
Photo by: Erik Junius
From a slightly more objective perspective, however, he posits that the trajectory of his 418-start grand prix racing career has largely balanced out the fortunate and unfortunate occurrences – while also maintaining a level of frustration regarding the delay in securing his 33rd victory.
“Good fortune, misfortune, I believe it’s a 50-50 split, to be frank. The reality is that when you participate in over 400 races, you’re bound to encounter numerous races marked by good luck and an equal number shadowed by bad luck, but I believe everything evens out,” Alonso remarked.
“Even when I participated in Le Mans, during the second Le Mans [2019], we trailed the leader [Toyota’s #7 car] by a margin of two minutes with just one hour remaining. Subsequently, they experienced a puncture, and then a wheel wasn’t properly secured, leading to a double pitstop on the subsequent lap, and ultimately, I emerged victorious in the second Le Mans. [For context, the #7 suffered from a defective tyre sensor that erroneously indicated a puncture on the wrong wheel; Toyota replaced one, then realized the other was the actual culprit and had to make another stop.]
“That involved a considerable amount of luck on our part. Therefore, everything evens out. But yes, perhaps spanning over 20 years, I believe, or perhaps exceeding 10 years since I last secured an F1 grand prix victory. It simply doesn’t sit right with me.”
Throughout 2025, Alonso has occasionally felt let down by strategy; during the Zandvoort race, for instance, Alonso voiced his dissatisfaction as he had made a pit stop moments before the safety car was deployed following Lewis Hamilton’s crash. He implied that his team “forgot about me in the initial phase of the race”, later lamenting that the team “consistently places me in traffic” when questioned about his car’s balance.
Alonso estimates that he’s forfeited “22 points” this year due to unfortunate circumstances. He feels that, during races where the car is competitive, he relinquishes points in challenging races – whereas when it’s uncompetitive, the weekends proceed smoothly. Perhaps this viewpoint has been shaped by his Monaco race, where he seemed poised to break his points drought in 2025 prior to encountering a powertrain issue.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images
“I think we’re already at 22. It’s a pity that we can’t finish the races on merit when we are in the points,” he lamented. “And then when we are slow, because we are uncompetitive, normally things are always smooth and nice until the checkered flag and we score no points.
“But this is the way it is and this is the sport, the nature of the sport. And as long as next year we have a good car, we are in normal luck. We don’t ask for good luck, but normal luck is okay.
“Losing 22 points, it should sound like it’s not much. We are not fighting for the world championship, so why should Alonso care about 22 points in a season like this?
“But it’s a lot of effort and determination to score every single point when the car is just able to score one or two points per weekend. To lose 22 is a massive amount.”
