F1 chief Flavio Briatore reveals wider importance of Fernando Alonso's title win

Fernando Alonso, Brazil, 2006 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Legends

Flavio Briatore reveals wider importance of iconic F1 star's title win

Fernando Alonso won the championship in 2005 and 2006

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 4 January 2026 13:02

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Flavio Briatore, the former boss of F1 legend Fernando Alonso, has explained the wider importance of the Spaniard's 2005 world championship win.

Alonso is a two-time world champion, having claimed back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 with the Renault team, beating seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in both of those years.

He has since gone on to compete for another 20 years - barring two seasons off for 'retirement' - and has now raced in more grands prix than any other driver in F1 history.

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Alonso is still going strong at the age of 44, and is hoping to once more challenge for podiums and race wins in the near future with Aston Martin.

But now, his former boss has taken us all back to 2005, when Alonso became the youngest champion in F1 history at a time after a seven-win season.

"He replaced a world champion and many criticised him for being young and inexperienced, but I believed in him," Briatore said in a new DAZN documentary titled Bravissimo.

"I was sure he was special. Over time you realise that he wasn't just special, he was something more than that.

"In 2005 we not only won a world championship, we also introduced Formula 1 to Spain. It was the moment when everyone truly got to know Fernando Alonso. Not just because he won the world championship, but because of how he won it; we did it with authority."

Can Alonso win another race?

Now 44 years old, Alonso's hopes of claiming a third world championship title may be fading away, but he could still claim a 33rd career grand prix victory.

Alonso has not won a race since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, but does have a contract that runs until the end of next season, and may even go on beyond that.

The Spaniard has said that, if Aston Martin provide him with a car that's fighting for race wins in 2026, he'll be happy to retire, but if they're still struggling for top 10 finishes, he may well carry on beyond that.

Alonso's driving ability is still there compared to his rivals, out-qualifiying his much younger team-mate Lance Stroll ahead of a grand prix on all 24 occasions in 2025.