P4 at the Hungarian GP. Not too bad for a F1 young driver. Obviously I am referring to Fernando Alonso’s presence at the Abu Dhabi Young Drivers’ test last December, as the Spaniard taking part in what is normally regarded as a rookie test made everyone turn up their noses.
Alonso’s superb defense on Lewis Hamilton already went down in history as one of the most fascinating race craft displays from the two-time world champion. However, I am not going to brush up any trivial cliches on his age (though it is a relevant factor), as I would rather stress the importance of having a professional, competitive and polyhedric driver as Alonso in F1 right now.
Influential, savage, aggressive are just a few adjectives that come to mind when you hear the name “Fernando Alonso”. His timeless hunger for success and the fact that he did not win as much as he deserved turned him into the powerhouse he is today, on and off the track.
An important aspect shall not be neglected: Alonso, since he re-joined McLaren, morphed into a full-fledged marketing personality. He was able to tell a story through his frustration towards Honda and sell a product. Team radios, interviews and the iconic deckchair scene were later taken advantage of by Liberty Media itself. Proof of such a key shift happened with the reenactment of the deckchair scene at the F1 2017 Hungarian GP, right before the summer break.
Negative publicity for Honda actually became F1’s strength, even popularity-wise.
Back then it certainly did not need Drive to Survive to make an impact on younger generations, as Fernando Alonso’s character played an important role in generating fan engagement.
Despite a few sporadic occasions, McLaren could not provide Alonso with a competitive package to fight at the front, but the 2021 midfield contention allowed his Alpine campaign to start with a number of strong performances. His star quality in close battles could emerge more often this season, making the Spaniard a lead actor in the eventful F1 season we are currently enjoying.
Summing up, great characters CAN replace fake storylines and gimmicks to entice youngsters into the sport. Artfully-created narratives cannot withstand the influence of actual charisma. And Fernando Alonso has got it all, which is why he also made a name for himself in the US, a difficult if not incompatible market for Europeans.
Still, he has to shrug off numerous labels glued to his image as a racer, from not acting as a team player to being a destructive element within teams. Hopefully his 2021 F1 Hungarian GP performance successfully silenced those critics, as we witnessed exactly the opposite of what people have been babbling about for a long time.
Not only did we stand before a talented driver taming his former teammate Lewis Hamilton, but we could also appreciate the sight of a senior figure carrying the team on his own back for the sake of protecting Esteban Ocon’s maiden race win.
If this is not enough to recant certain statements, I am definitely out of ideas to make it happen.
Author: Beatrice Zamuner – @ZamunerB
Photo: Alpine F1 Team
Great column! Fernando turned 40 last month and is still going strong. Hope Alpine can nail the regulations next year so he finally has a car capable of challenging for race wins.