Fernando Alonso stands next to Napoleon — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Legends

'Vertically challenged' Fernando Alonso branded 'Napoleon' for F1 exit tantrums

Fernando Alonso is a two-time world champion

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 19 January 2026 15:26

F1 icon David Coulthard has hinted that Fernando Alonso's 'Napoleon complex' has seen him burn a few bridges in the sport.

Alonso previously raced at McLaren in 2007 off the back of two world championships earned with the Renault team, but the Spaniard's season with McLaren was overshadowed by disagreements with rookie team-mate Lewis Hamilton and the 'spygate' controversy, with Alonso returning to Renault for 2008.

He did race again for McLaren once former boss Ron Dennis had left the team, with the Spaniard taking up a seat between 2015-2018.

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But Alonso's career as an F1 driver has regularly seen flashpoints, with his spell at Alpine not exactly harmonious as he had a difficult relationship with team-mate Esteban Ocon.

And Coulthard has now suggested that this is down to a 'Napoleon complex' that sees Alonso 'pull the pin' on what he described as a 'grenade'.

Coulthard was talking in an episode of the Red Flags podcast, where he was ranking F1 world champions.

Having described Alonso as 'vertically challenged', Coulthard then went on to compare the Spaniard to Napoleon Bonaparte - a French military and political leader who was famously, albeit incorrectly, known for being short.

Talking about which champion was better between Hamilton and Alonso, Coulthard said: "You’ve got to go Hamilton because he matched Alonso in his first year and Alonso was already a champion, so the speed and future winningness of Hamilton was declared early doors.

"Alonso at his peak and Hamilton at his peak then toe-to-toe they were matched on lap times. But I think the height thing, the Napoleon complex has seen Alonso pull the pin on that grenade."

Alonso reinvigorated at Aston Martin

After opting to leave Alpine at the end of the 2022 season, Alonso signed a deal with Aston Martin, and at 44 years of age he is still going strong.

Alonso has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, but did manage to add eight podiums to his tally during the 2023 season.

After a couple of years of racing around the midfield with the struggling Aston Martin team, Alonso is hoping that the team can provide him with another podium-challenging car in 2026, the final year of his current contract.

New regulations are sweeping into the sport this year, and Aston Martin are hoping to utilise these and become a championship-contending team in the coming years.

And with the recruitment of design legend Adrian Newey, Alonso will have genuine hope that he can challenge for a 33rd grand prix victory sooner rather than later.

Fernando Alonso David Coulthard