F1 world champion Fernando Alonso WARNED over 'one race career'

Fernando Alonso

F1 world champion WARNED over 'one race career'

The F1 veteran has, thankfully, entertained fans for far more than one race

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 24 August 2023 14:57

Fernando Alonso was originally warned by his father that his Formula 1 career may last for just one race.

The two-time world champion has, of course, enjoyed a stellar career at the top of the sport, winning the world championship in 2005 and 2006 and achieving 32 race wins.

He may yet increase that number, with his new Aston Martin team breathing life into the 42-year-old veteran.

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He has established himself as the closest challenger to Red Bull's dominance in 2023, sitting in third in the world championship and finishing in the podium positions at half of the races so far this season.

Alonso's stark warning

Fernando Alonso has stood on the podium six times after 12 races this season

Despite this, he has revealed that he was warned in 2001, when he debuted with the Minardi team, that his career may not last very long.

"I remember the first ever race in Formula 1... I called my father on the Sunday morning of the race and I said ok it's two hours 'til the race, let's see how it goes," he recalled on the High Performance Podcast.

"He said, 'Ok, try to enjoy because maybe it's your last race.' And I said what do you mean? And he said 'We never know, this is your first race, maybe you are not delivering or you are not quick enough or the team is not happy with you at the end of the race and then you will always be able to say that you raced one Formula 1 grand prix – you are a grand prix driver.'

"So that's the kind of approach that my family have and that, for me, is very valuable."