Fernando Alonso’s Frustrating 12-Year F1 Victory Drought: A Champion’s Struggle for Redemption
In the high-octane world of Formula 1, where victories define legacies, Fernando Alonso finds himself in an astonishing and frustrating predicament: a staggering 12-year drought without a race win. The two-time world champion, whose career is adorned with 32 glorious victories, has not tasted champagne on the podium since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. It’s a situation that the seasoned Spaniard admits “doesn’t sound right,” as he continues his relentless pursuit of a coveted third championship.
Alonso, a name synonymous with racing excellence, has been trapped in a cycle of near-misses and misfortune since leaving Ferrari in 2014. His return to McLaren for a second stint was nothing short of disastrous, leading him to exit the sport entirely. However, the allure of racing proved too strong to resist, and in 2021, Alonso made a comeback with Alpine—his third tenure with the Enstone team—before making the bold switch to Aston Martin in 2023.
While the initial partnership with Aston Martin brought glimpses of promise and podium finishes, the momentum soon faltered. The once-celebrated pilot has not managed to finish in the top three since those early successes, leaving fans and critics alike to wonder about the reasons behind his prolonged victory drought.
Reflecting on his tumultuous journey, Alonso stated, “Good luck, bad luck, I think 50-50 to be honest.” He elaborated on his career’s rollercoaster, revealing, “When you do 400-plus races, there are a lot of races with good luck and a lot of races with bad luck, but I think everything compensated.” In a poignant moment, he recounted his dramatic win at Le Mans in 2019, where he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, only to lament, “But yeah, probably over 20 years, I think, or maybe more than 10 years that I won my last F1 Grand Prix. It doesn’t sound right to me.”
This season, Alonso has found himself grappling with an avalanche of bad luck as well. Despite consistently out-qualifying his teammate Lance Stroll, he trails him in the standings—a bitter pill for a driver of his caliber. “We are already up to 22 [points lost], I think. It’s a shame that we cannot finish the races on merit when we are in the points,” he lamented, encapsulating the frustration of a champion unable to convert potential into results.
He further dissected the irony of his season: “When we are slow, because we are uncompetitive, normally things are always smooth and nice until the checkered flag and we score no points. But this is the way it is and this is the sport, the nature of the sport.” With a glimmer of hope, he added, “As long as next year we have a good car, we are in normal luck. We don’t ask for good luck, but normal luck is okay.”
Alonso’s statement about losing 22 points may seem trivial in the grand scheme of the championship standings, but for a driver who has dedicated his life to the sport, it’s a massive blow. “It should sound like it’s not much. We are not fighting for the World Championship, so why should Alonso care about 22 points in a season like this? But it’s a lot of effort and determination to score every single point when the car is just able to score one or two points per weekend. To lose 22 is a massive amount.”
As the racing world watches closely, the question remains: can Fernando Alonso defy the odds and break his victory drought? With his tenacity and unparalleled drive, the saga of this racing legend is far from over. Fans and followers of the sport eagerly anticipate what the future holds for Alonso as he races against time to reclaim his rightful place on the podium.
