Fernando Alonso’s high-profile move to Ferrari in 2010, coming directly from Renault, was widely anticipated and tipped by many experts and fans alike as the perfect opportunity for him to add yet another world championship to his already impressive and remarkable Formula 1 career achievements.
The Spanish driver, Fernando Alonso, was already a two-time Formula 1 world champion, having claimed his titles in 2005 and 2006 during his successful stint with the Renault team. However, Alonso’s career took a complicated turn when he made an ill-timed move to McLaren in 2007. That season sparked an intense and often fraught rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, who was a rookie at the time, creating a highly competitive and sometimes controversial environment within the team. After two turbulent years at McLaren, Alonso returned to Renault’s Enstone factory for another two seasons from 2008 to 2009, but those years ultimately failed to bring the results and championship successes he had hoped to achieve.
When Fernando Alonso signed a contract with Ferrari ahead of the 2010 Formula 1 season, replacing the outgoing Kimi Räikkönen, expectations were sky-high. Upon his arrival at the legendary Italian outfit in Maranello, Alonso immediately set ambitious goals and sought to win the drivers’ championship. He also firmly demanded clear number one status within the team, positioning himself above Felipe Massa, Ferrari’s then lead driver, in terms of priority and team support.
Alonso came agonizingly close to winning a third world championship on two separate occasions — in 2010 and again in 2012. However, on both occasions, he narrowly missed out to Sebastian Vettel, who was driving for Red Bull Racing and dominating the sport during that era. The 2011 and 2013 Formula 1 seasons were particularly dominated by the German driver, Sebastian Vettel, leaving Ferrari and Fernando Alonso unable to find an effective response or solution to close the performance gap.
The introduction of new technical regulations in 2014, which mandated the switch to V6 turbo hybrid power units, was seen by many within the sport as a critical opportunity for Ferrari to close the widening performance gap to their rivals and regain their historic dominance in Formula 1. Unfortunately for the Scuderia and Alonso, the changes had the opposite effect, exacerbating Ferrari’s struggles rather than alleviating them.
Fernando Alonso quickly realized that winning a world championship with Ferrari had become nearly ‘impossible’ when he was confronted with the team’s ‘shocking’ 2014 power unit, which was notably underpowered and unreliable. With Kimi Räikkönen returning to partner Alonso in the Ferrari garage, the team ostensibly had the experience and talent to tackle the 2014 season and adapt to the challenging new hybrid engine regulations. However, former Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo explained in an interview with BBC Sport that the team had severely underestimated the technical demands and complexities of the new power unit regulations.
During pre-season testing at Jerez, Alonso and Räikkönen discovered the car suffered from a critical lack of power, a problem that would continue to haunt Ferrari throughout the entirety of the 2014 season. As a result, Ferrari was forced to settle for fourth place in the constructors’ championship, with Alonso managing to achieve just two podium finishes over the course of the year.
According to Luca Di Montezemolo’s recollections, it was at this point during the 2014 season that Fernando Alonso understood and accepted that he would never again win a Formula 1 world championship if he remained with Ferrari.
Luca Di Montezemolo recalled Alonso’s frank warning regarding the engine, stating that Alonso had informed him repeatedly that the power unit had insufficient power output. These concerns were consistently raised over multiple days of pre-season testing, which led Di Montezemolo to realize that Ferrari’s championship hopes were effectively over for the year, especially since the regulations froze engine development, preventing any meaningful mid-season improvements.
This moment represented a significant turning point when Alonso reportedly concluded that continuing his career with Ferrari meant sacrificing any realistic chance of winning another world title. Di Montezemolo described this realization as a profoundly “shocking moment” for both the team and the driver.
Eddie Jordan, the former Formula 1 team owner and pundit, described Alonso’s situation at Ferrari as that of a ‘prisoner,’ trapped due to a lack of better alternatives. At that time, Nico Rosberg was firmly established at Mercedes, while Daniel Ricciardo was making a strong impression at Red Bull Racing. Ultimately, Alonso returned to McLaren for the 2015 Formula 1 season, a move that unfortunately failed to revive his championship aspirations.
Despite not meeting the lofty expectations many had for him, Fernando Alonso remains widely regarded as one of the most talented, skilled, and respected drivers currently competing in Formula 1. Now aged 43, Alonso continues to chase the elusive third world championship that has so far eluded him. Since leaving Ferrari, he has had further stints with McLaren and Alpine, and he is currently racing with Aston Martin, hoping to compete at the sharp end of the grid with a more competitive car as the 2026 Formula 1 technical regulations approach.
At one point in his career, Alonso was widely predicted by experts and fans alike to win as many as ten world championships, a figure that has not materialized due to various circumstances and challenges. As of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Alonso sits 11th in the drivers’ standings with only 26 points, and he has not finished on the podium since the 2023 season.
Nevertheless, Alonso continues to demonstrate his exceptional driving skills, racecraft, and determination, as evidenced by some strong performances for Aston Martin throughout the 2025 season. His impressive fifth-place finish at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix serves as clear evidence that he remains capable of fighting at the front of the field against younger and highly competitive drivers.
The crucial question now remains whether Aston Martin can provide Fernando Alonso with a truly championship-winning car before his current contract expires at the end of the 2026 season. With time running short for the Spanish racing legend, the pressure is mounting for Alonso to add a third Formula 1 world championship title to his already extraordinary and storied career achievements.
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