Fernando Alonso: the top 3 wins of his F1 career

With two world titles and over 30 wins to his name, Fernando Alonso is undoubtedly one of the top F1 drivers of this generation. Here are three of his best-ever victories that prove his incredible talent.

Alonso’s F1 career has seen him drive at the pinnacle of motorsport for over 20 years. Throughout stints at Minardi, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine, and Aston Martin, he has wowed fans with his unbelievable skill. In particular, many respect the Spaniard for his relentless ability to extract the maximum performance from a car.

Fernando Alonso has, therefore, produced some top wins during his glittering career.

#3: 2013 Spanish Grand Prix

Coming in third place on our list is actually the most recent victory of Fernando Alonso’s F1 career. Back in 2013, whilst driving for Ferrari, the Spaniard pulled off a fabulous feat of controlled aggression to win his home race.

Starting from fifth at the Circuit de Catalunya, Alonso leapt up to third place within the first few corners. He picked off Kimi Raikkonen on the exit of turn 2 before going around the outside of Lewis Hamilton at turn 3 in a daring manoeuvre.

Following his blistering start, the Spanish grand prix then turned into a war of attrition. However, rather than trying to conserve tyres, Alonso and Ferrari opted to go super aggressive. They did a four-stop strategy – one more than the rivals around them.

Alonso thus had the green light to drive flat out throughout the race, as he was less concerned with tyre wear. But he also had to make moves on track in order to win. An undercut allowed him to leapfrog Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel to take second place.

Then, the Ferrari star managed to catch and pass Nico Rosberg at turn 1 for first, much to the delight of his home crowd.

Alonso’s searing pace and perfect strategy enabled him to take a brilliant 32nd – and currently last – F1 victory.

#2: 2012 European Grand Prix

If you were an F1 fan in 2012, you may recall that Ferrari’s car that year was… not one of their finest. The F2012, aside from boasting an ugly “step-nose” design, was a handful to drive and not quick. Nevertheless, Fernando Alonso wrestled it to one of his top three wins at the 2012 European GP.

Taking place in his native Spain at the Valencia Street Circuit, Alonso could only qualify eleventh on the grid. You can never fully count him out on home soil, though.

After safely negotiating the hectic opening laps around the street track, the Spaniard was frustrated behind Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes. He finally passed his old rival on lap 19 – giving the Ferrari ace some free air to run in.

Having made his way up to P3, a safety car around lap 30 gave Alonso a chance to challenge the top two. At the lap 34 restart, he audaciously overtook Romain Grosjean around the outside to move up to second. Now, Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull was all that lay ahead of Alonso and victory.

But, in a rather anticlimactic fashion, Vettel’s car gifted Alonso the win. His Red Bull suffered a technical fault, thus forcing the German to retire. Fernando Alonso then cruised home to take the top spot and complete one of his most improbable wins.

#1: 2005 San Marino Grand Prix

Finally, in first place on our list of the top wins from Fernando Alonso is a classic from the mid-2000s. In contrast to his other victories on this list, the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix showcased the Spaniard’s defensive prowess.

Driving for Renault, Alonso put on a masterclass in car positioning and on-track defence.

Alonso started second on the grid and trailed pole-sitter Kimi Raikkonen in the opening laps of the race. However, the Spaniard inherited the lead from the Finn when his McLaren encountered an issue.

From here, Fernando Alonso just had one man to contend with: a marauding Michael Schumacher. The Ferrari driver had started 13th but had fought back up the field, reaching P3 after the first pit stops.

Once the pair had pitted again, Schumacher was right behind Alonso – and on fresher tyres. Fans at home and at Imola were in for a grandstand finish.

Despite having a seven-time world champion in a faster car behind him, the Renault ace held his nerve for lap after lap. Schumacher threw everything he could at Fernando. The German was constantly filling his rival’s mirrors and trying different lines to try and force a mistake.

Yet Alonso stood firm, getting his Renault to the chequered flag to win by just 0.2 seconds. This victory showed his clear intent to take on the might of Schumacher and Ferrari for the world championship.

And, as it happens, Alonso got the better of the German in 2005. He won his first world drivers’ title, becoming (at the time) the youngest-ever champion.

The win at Imola established Fernando Alonso as a force to be reckoned with; that is why it is our vote for the best victory of his career.

Featured image credit: Getty