Four-star confusion puts Fernando Alonso’s 400th race in doubt | Relief
“Try to enjoy it because it could be your last race. You never know, this is the first time, maybe you won’t perform, or you won’t be fast enough, or the team won’t be happy with you at the end of the race, or something like that…” The progenitor is driver with the most Grands Prix in history Formula 1 gave valuable advice to that debuted in Australia 2001.
Fernando Alonso, who at that time knew the routes only from video games, drove for the Minardi team and would never have thought that he would become two-time world champion. He wouldn’t even dream, he says, of lasting in Formula 1 with two years off between them, that is, more than two decades. Or with compete against opponents from five different decades. The Asturian, who recently admitted that he was “99%” out of the Circus Maximus in 2009, reaches a figure in Mexico that few in history can approach.
Alonso celebrates 400 races…or 400 total Grand Prix? Although Formula 1 and Aston Martin claim this with all their social media posts and other gestures and tributes, the reality is that there is no agreement on such a large and round figure. Thanks to the reliable platforms used by semi-grills such as F1StatisticsIt’s a mess there. The key is counting or not counting Spanish performances on Sundays. In a couple of tests Alonso was not present when the light went out, but he turned around in formation..
Should these two races be included in the 400? In the third – no departure, no return to formation. Double Champion Weekend he was left halfway for safety reasons: He was not allowed to compete for medical reasons, so he did not show up on Sunday. Does it count or not? These are the four races that “dance” among 400.
Four in Discord
He started from third and fourth, not even from that. IN Belgium 2001, Indianapolis 2005 and Russia 2017Alonso started the Grand Prix but did not complete it. In Spa he had accident due to rain during warm-up a few hours ago. The reserve car was then still usable and he tried it in the race, but it only lasted one lap. Later, a fifth-lap crash between Burti and Irvine led to the race being restarted and the Asturian did not compete again, making it one of the races that some statistics won’t tell you anything as disputed.
In Indianapolis and Russia, he completed only the formation lap. From the USA we remember that historic tire accident and as a sign of protest, most of the participants started in the pits not to participate in the competition, leaving only six cars at the start. Another shadow in Sochi in 2017. They were batteries from that terrible McLaren-Honda that cut off the route.
In Bahrain 2016, unlike the other three Grand Prix, Alonso did not even start the race, although he was scheduled to. He appeared as a result of an accident at the previous Australian Grand Prix, and during free practice FIA doctorsAfter the pilot’s tests, it was believed thatyour condition was unsuitable compete. Vandoorne replaced him at McLaren.
These Grand Prix stories leave some doubt about this clash of numbers. Aston Martin counts all the top prizes that Alonso started (with Belgium 2001, Indianapolis 2005 and Russia 2017), and even Bahrain 2016 was mentioned in some headlines, where it was presented but did not start. F1Statistics He refers to these four top prizes as “commitments” (401 total commitments) but not as contested top prizes (397 excluding these four).
Extraterrestrial data
It is amazing that in two world championships, 32 victories, 2329 points, 106 podiums, 22 pole positions and 26 fastest laps in Alonso’s career failed to complete 19.19% of trials, resulting in a total of 76 trials being discontinued. Almost fifth. That says a lot about how unlucky he was, especially during the McLaren-Honda or Alpine days a couple of years ago.
It’s hard to comprehend that the man from Oviedo, according to Aston Martin, participated in more than a third of all races held in Formula 1. since the first checkered flag flew at Silverstone in 1950. He was in the 36% of the total and competed against riders from the 2010s, 2000s, 90s and even the 80s.
Like, for example, Jean Alesi, who made his debut in 1989. Now the Spaniard is fighting one on one. five riders born after the Spaniard’s debut in 2001: Piastri, Bierman, Antonelli, Colapinto and Lawson. Alonso’s 70,000 laps in the cockpit won’t last forever and he will spend his final years at the Circus Maximus. This will continue in 2026, but only he knows what will happen next.