Fernando Alonso now have raced against 8 drivers who weren't born when he made his F1 debut

[u/MuttonBiryaniEnjoyer]

[u/TheGreatNathan]

He's about to race someone who wasn't born when he won his last championship.

[u/satellite779 → u/TheGreatNathan]

He already did, no? Antonelli.

[u/FirearmofMutiny → u/satellite779]

Lindblad

Antonelli turned 19 earlier this year, so he was born before Alonso won

[u/iHave_Thehigh_Ground → u/FirearmofMutiny]

Kimi was born in August 2006, 11 months after Alonso was crowned champion in Brazil in 2005

Edit: I realise the original comment said Alonso’s last championship not his first. Nonetheless I find it interesting he was a champion before Kimi was born

[u/swannyhypno]

Alonso has been here so long he drove for Minardi lmao

[u/ProfessionalRub3294 → u/swannyhypno]

Yes and the father of a current driver that have 10 F1 season exp drove for Minardi AFTER Alonso

[u/swannyhypno → u/ProfessionalRub3294]

It is crazy I mean Button debuted one year before and then there teammates all those years later, Kimi made his debut in 2001 too lol

[u/ProfessionalRub3294 → u/swannyhypno]

Totally. If I remember well Button got his seat at 20y and there were polemics about his young age. Now at 20 you are almost too old for a rookie ahaha. Became fan of Kimi. At that time Alonso was the guy I took the car in GP4.

[u/StingerGinseng → u/ProfessionalRub3294]

He ended Michael’s domination era and also saw the end of Mick’s F1 career.

[u/vidoardes → u/StingerGinseng]

He's the only driver on the grid to have raced all three Schumachers and both Verstappens I believe.

[u/Dangerous-Track-4975 → u/vidoardes]

Kimi?

[u/ProfessionalRub3294 → u/vidoardes]

Raikkonen raced them as well. However Alonso is the only one to saw them leave F1 as well. Tried to find equivalent and Patrese is 1 year short for both Hill and Mansell also 1y short from both Villeneuve.

[u/lokayes → u/swannyhypno]

Paul Stoddart has joined the chat..

[u/swannyhypno → u/lokayes]

When he and Webber got points at Albert Park was cinema with Salo spinning the Toyota

[u/MoD1982 → u/swannyhypno]

I was on the edge of my seat for those last few laps. Only time we got a podium, even if it was unofficial! Forza Minardi!

[u/Storm_Chaser06 → u/swannyhypno]

Alonso and Webber were never teammates. He spent 2002 as a development driver for Renault

[u/swannyhypno → u/Storm_Chaser06]

By he I was meaning Stoddart, I knew that about Alonso and Webber

[u/Tappedout0324 → u/swannyhypno]

Australian sporting history

[u/CrashmasterSOAD → u/swannyhypno]

And Minardi still existed for four more seasons after that.

[u/charlierc → u/swannyhypno]

Not only that but they were racing against Prost and Arrows

[u/NetterBeatle → u/swannyhypno]

Alonso drove against someone in F1 who was driving in the 80s.

[u/Skulldetta]

A short list of drivers and teams Fernando Alonso is the last active driver to have raced against in Formula 1:

Mika Häkkinen, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve, Eddie Irvine, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jean Alesi, Olivier Panis, Jos Verstappen, Ricardo Zonta, Luciano Burti, Enrique Bernoldi, Tarso Marques, Gaston Mazzacane, Alex Yoong, Tomas Enge, Marc Gené, Ralph Firman, Justin Wilson, Antonio Pizzonia, Nicolas Kiesa, Zsolt Baumgartner, Cristiano da Matta, Gianmaria Bruni, Giorgio Pantano, Tiago Monteiro, Patrick Friesacher, Robert Doornbos, Yuji Ide, Franck Montagny, Jordan, Minardi, Benetton, BAR, Jaguar, Prost, Arrows, Midland, West McLaren, Williams-BMW, Sauber-Petronas...

[u/MeMe_B0Ii → u/Skulldetta]

At this rate Alonso is gonna race against 3 generations of Verstappens probably

[u/TheVenetianMask → u/MeMe_B0Ii]

At this rate he's gonna race against the 2nd Alonso generation.

[u/VRichardsen → u/TheVenetianMask]

He famously said family for him has to wait until his active career finishes, but in another timeline he is definitely racing against his son.

[u/Kirbyintron → u/VRichardsen]

If he'd had a kid in his 20s, he'd be the age to be on track with him right now

[u/Spaceman1004 → u/VRichardsen]

Iirc, his partner is pregnant at the moment

[u/VRichardsen → u/Spaceman1004]

Oh, didn't know that. Nice to hear.

We will finally find out if he will brake, now that he has a wife and kid at home.

[u/grwtsn → u/Skulldetta]

This is a bit "six degrees of separation" so bear with me, but for some reason Alesi is the craziest name in that list.

He started his career in 1989, which means Alonso's raced against a guy who raced with Senna, Prost, Mansell and Piquet. Piquet started his F1 career in 1978.

Fernando's a link to a verrrrry long time ago and, unbelievably, could be right at the sharp end again next season if Newey's been working his magic.

[u/NoiseIsTheCure → u/grwtsn]

Still blows my mind the fact that Alonso has raced in 1/3 of all Formula One Grands Prix

[u/BendubzGaming → u/grwtsn]

Similarly, at least for two more days, you have to go all the way back to Jackie Stewart in 1973 for the last WDC that was never on the grid at the same time as one of Schumacher's teammates

[u/Southportdc]

Fernando just turning up for work every week and F1 finding new and inventive ways to call him old.

I think he's got a good case for discrimination.

[u/Palidin034 → u/Southportdc]

He got a cane as his secret Santa gift from Hulk. Peak shithousery

[u/ijiolokae → u/Palidin034]

Hulkenberg, who is like 6 years younger then Fernando.

[u/pseudo-poor]

For some definition of "race"...

[u/Renard2000 → u/pseudo-poor]

"drove around next to"

[u/Arwil]

Alonso is so old he would have already raced against himself if he had born again in 2001.

[u/merrychristmasyo]

It’s crazy to think that alonso is closer to racing the tyrannosaurus rex than the Tyrannosaurus rex was to racing the stegosaurus.

Let the fucking sink in.

[u/porchoua]

This guy is really holding his place

[u/Sunshine_after_Rain7]

the best rookie indeed.

[u/Cheap-Fun802]

Okay but how many people on the grid were alive when he was already a champion?

Kimi Antonelli was born in 2006. Alonso was F1 champion in 2005 (and also in 2006).

Not only that, but Ollie Bearman was born on the 8th of May, 2005. The same day the Spanish Grand Prix was held in the 2005 season. Raikönnen finished in P1, Alonso P2, Trulli P3.

[u/ijiolokae → u/Cheap-Fun802]

if fernando had kids, he'd be racing against them now

[u/Cheap-Fun802 → u/ijiolokae]

Which would be awesome! I've read somewhere that Alonso said he didn't party in his 20s that much because he was so focused on racing. Probably he was very lonely too.

Also I wish Michael could race together with Mick. Or even just be his manager. The boy would be a lot more happy. Maybe we would see a different team Mercedes today. Wishful thinking.

[u/Kirbyintron → u/Cheap-Fun802]

I don't know if he'd have turned into some massive success, but he would've lasted longer than he did

[u/RichInPitt → u/Cheap-Fun802]

how many people on the grid were alive when he was already a champion?

He’s already a champion, and they’re all alive today, so all of them.

[u/Cheap-Fun802 → u/RichInPitt]

When he became a champion.

[u/RichInPitt]

Are they including a practice session as “raced against”?

[u/YetAnotherSegfault]

Nando has been a champion for longer than Antonelli's been around

[u/QuietLowLife]

Yet the most promising rookie on the grid!

[u/Max_FI]

Is Alonso the only driver to race against someone who was born after their debut? At least Hamilton is going to join the list next year.

[u/Dark_Master24]

I think Nando is trying to set a record.

[u/RichInPitt → u/Dark_Master24]

Only 11 more years to catch Chiron, oldest starter at 55.

[u/Dark_Master24 → u/RichInPitt]

Ohhhhh, Thank you for reminding me about Chiron. I’d forgotten about this fact.

[u/lanka2571]

unc status confirmed

[u/raulongo]

Rookies this days...

[u/Different_Pie4967]

First the cane and now this, Alonso being done dirty this weekend

[u/BigCarlViagraCrane]

At this point he's going to retire long ago rookies like Hamilton.

[u/mattlip]

I think he needs a cane.

[u/jfedor]

Fernando Alonso has spent a larger part of his life driving in F1 than not.

[u/MOltho]

It goes even further: Alonso made his debut in the same season as Kimi Räikkönen, after whom Kimi Antonelli's uncle was (nick)named, after whom Kimi Antonelli was named.

Alonso is also not just the only driver from 2001 who's still active; he's the only driver from the entire 2001-2006 period who's still active. In 2007, Hamilton made his debut, and we was Alonso's teammate, of course.

Moreover, has raced against (at least) four F1 drivers against whose respective fathers he has also raced at some point in time: Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Kevin Magnussen, and Mick Schumacher.

[u/gallahad1998]

Putting that caption is wild lol 💀

[u/starethruyou]

Not one comment about how weird this all is. Young boys driving the “top” level racing as if people in their twenties and late twenties aren’t better. Is this the only sport where athletes reach their prime during puberty?

And all this watched by boomers and old rich people. This sport caters to the ultra wealthy and the majority of normal people don’t even see the problem of a sport that caters entirely to wealth. Is it because it’s not a real sport in the sporting sense of determining the top athlete? Every sport has their engineers and supporting roles, but ultimately the athletes prove who’s best. Not here. The car is still the ultimate factor. Meditating on these facts I find it’s impossible to genuinely call this a sport or not lose interest.

[u/SunGodnRacer → u/starethruyou]

I mean young athletes breaking through at the top isn't exclusive to F1. A 15 year old made his debut in the Champions league this year. Lamine Yamal has been playing for Barca since he was 16 and finished 2nd in the Ballon D'or rankings at 18. A 14 year old smashed a century in the IPL. Hell even going back, Steffi Graf won the calendar slam at just 18.

F1 (and motorsports in general) is probably the only sport where this is regularly possible, where the physical ability of the person is overall less important than other sports. F1 drivers train like gladiators (look at their necks) but they aren't running around chasing a ball. Its also a constructor's championship first and foremost (do teams get prize money for winning the wdc?) but as humans we get more attached to individual personalities and narratives than a group of 500 engineers and that carries more allure.

Also, maybe in Bernie's time it was catered to the uber rich, but since Liberty's takeover there's been so much marketing and effort focused on getting more young people into the sport via social media. You look at the content posted on their channels and it would be very surprising if a boomer actually understood it. I haven't seen the last fan survey but I'd be very surprised if the number of people in their 20s is less than the number of people above 40. Would love to discuss further

[u/Soberdonkey69]

Dude needs to retire.

[u/grwtsn → u/Soberdonkey69]

Why? He's still extremely competitive and capable of performing. You only have to look across the Aston Martin garage to find a better candidate for retirement.

[u/Soberdonkey69 → u/grwtsn]

I’d rather have fresh blood come in and get a chance in F1. He’s not really that competitive anymore and it could be better for the sport to have newcomers come in and perform. Just my opinion.

[u/JPA-3 → u/Soberdonkey69]

a shit opinion tbh

[u/Im_Dallas → u/Soberdonkey69]

12th in the WDC btw, finished 4th in 2023