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Fernando Alonso, aged 41, is in his 19th F1 season and is the oldest driver on the grid. But this has not stopped Alonso from doing what he does best. He is a 2-time world champion with Renault and has won 32 F1 Grand Prix out of the 352 races he has attended. He has raced for many notable world championship teams, including McLaren, Scuderia Ferrari, and Renault in the past.
Alonso spoke about breaking Raikonnen's record and reaching the 400-race mark ahead of the race at Monza. He said his love for the sport and passion for driving made it possible. The Spaniard said:
"I'm happy to be in Formula 1 for so many years, and with the two more coming, or whatever, however long I will be in Formula 1. I will reach 400 for sure, so that's a big number. It shows my passion for the sport and my discipline to perform at the high level. If you are not performing, the team will not give you 400 grands prix, for sure."
This season, Alonso matched Kimi Raikonnen's record of 349 race starts at the Italian GP. He will also make his 350th race start at the Singapore GP, breaking the record outright. He is scheduled to leave Alpine at the end of this year after two seasons. He took a break from F1 in 2018 but returned to the sport in 2021. The Spaniard has signed a contract to race for Aston Martin for the next two years.
Fernando Alonso's career has been long but very illustrious. The only driver on the grid apart from him to have completed 300 races is Lewis Hamilton, with 306 starts. Alonso had a difficult final year at Alpine. He has consistently placed in the top 10, but the pace of the car is not enough to fight for the win. The Spaniard hopes to have a better car next year and compete for the championship.
Fernando Alonso still 'very hungry' according to Aston Martin chief
Aston Martin signed world champion Fernando Alonso to replace the departing Sebastian Vettel, a four-time world champion in his own right, for the next two seasons. Mike Krack, Aston Martin's team principal, recently said in an interview with Sky F1 that the reason they signed the 41-year-old was because of his hunger to win. Krack was quoted as saying:
"Well, first of all, Fernando is super fast, and I think that is the first criteria. Then he’s very hungry, very competitive. And normally, with his amount of experience, it’s very difficult to have that so we are, I think, privileged that we have this combination of experience and competitiveness and speed."
As it stands, Aston Martin find themselves second-last in the constructor's standings. With the signing of Fernando Alonso, the team will be hoping for a successful F1 season in 2023.
