Fernando Alonso's worst Formula 1 cars

Great drivers usually find themselves in great cars more often than not, but that can't be said about Fernando Alonso. The two-time world champion had to drive some terrible machinery during his F1 career, and here is Autosport's countdown of the eight worst cars he had to race. Disagree with our list? Let us know in the comments below!

[@AaronShenghao]

The engine feels good... much slower than before....

[@rubenvives3487]

Amazing

[@OutlawXplosive]

GP2 ENGINE

[@RedTsarOldChannel-INACTIVE]

@@OutlawXplosive GP2... ... AAAAARRRRGHHH!

[@jamesdickenson3174]

....Maybe you have a virus on your computer?

[@gdv1pergd833]

@James Dickenson I’m not too sure you get it

[@seaneurick_977]

Who’s here after Carlos sainz and lando Norris are carrying McLaren to 4th in constructors championship

[@user-iu7sp6ck5g]

Shooter they didn’t carry Them to fourth, lol

[@seaneurick_977]

o: yes McLaren is also helping

[@user-iu7sp6ck5g]

They have The fourth best car

[@richboy900]

It's amazing what a bit of harmony, positive vibes and banter can bring to a team. Feel as though that wouldn't exist in Alonsos time at the team

[@MT-pv2rf]

Sainz just got McLaren's first podium since Australia 2014

[@johncate9541]

At least Minardi had an excuse. They were broke.

[@purwantiallan5089]

The Minardi PS01 2001 at least is a bit more reliable than M199 from Badoer and Gene.

[@dunkno2012]

imagine if he stayed at mclaren for 2008 then switched to red bull for 2009 (which nearly happened) he could of easily been a 5 time champion

[@TheGreatVivek7]

Imagine if he wouldn't have stolen Kimi Raikkonen's championship in the year 2005. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[@utasajaia5681]

well, wherever Alonso goes, his team starts falling apart. so Alonso in Red Bull for 2009, would most probably make Red Bull lose their development phase due to an arrogant driver and that would make Ferrari win the title. lol

[@Ero_Hentai]

@@TheGreatVivek7 stolen? I think you should put the blame on the unreliable mclaren car in 2005 instead of alonso

[@alex_dkt]

蒼月 they can’t. Haters gonna hate. Imagine if They Don’t hate, that would be such an interesting thing to study

[@rupanjanshome1242]

actually vettel won championships in redbull because alonso didn't joined redbull. Otherwise fernando would win like hamilton these days.

[@MrTrick.]

Had Alonso made better, less rash career choices, he could have had the best car pretty much all of his career. Walking away from McLaren in 07, Ferrari in 14 and turning down Red Bull were all big errors.

[@FutureF123]

Mr Trick all decisions seem right in hindsight, but at the time, none of those decisions made sense. He was booted from McLaren after it was obvious he wouldn’t be treated equally to Hamilton, he left Ferrari due to a change in management(that team principal was shortly fired for letting Alonso go), and he didn’t move to red bull because, at the time, red bull was a midfield team and he was already in talks with Ferrari. All of those decisions made sense at the time, he’s just been extraordinarily unlucky with how his career turned out. Easily the best F1 driver of the past 20 years, shame he only has 2 titles to his name

[@MrTrick.]

@@FutureF123 You make your own luck. Alonso's behaviour in 07 with the spygate scandal was completely unreasonable. He tried to blackmail Ron Dennis and he couldn't handle that Hamilton was just as fast as him. His ego was in control of his emotions at the time. I'm not anti-Alonso, i think he's a supremely talented driver, but i guess its just his fiery temperament that gets in the way. Mercedes were 40% stake holders in Mclaren in 07, so they had to pay 40% of that $100m fine. That precluded any chance if him getting in the merc team in the future. Honda wouldn't want him in the red bull next year because of hus gp2 engine remarks. Its a shame, i'd love to see him battling with Hamilton and Vettel.

[@rumblefish9]

You can't really say that. We can say he made bad choices because we have the benefit of hindsight. But at the time, Ferrari was a smart choice. Alonso was willing to carry on the Ferrari legacy but the car, the lack of development and the political infighting at Ferrari (De Montezomolo was ousted and Domenicalli resigned) in the 4 years (especially the last year) made Alonso decide not to sign a long term deal. Mclaren was also at the time a good choice. Everyone thought that Mclaren would be able to iron out their reliability issues. At the time he made these choices, no one questioned him. Just now that when we look back on all this do we say he made bad choices.

[@stewartgrindlay9760]

Mr Trick where is your evidence?

[@georgejakob1451]

@@stewartgrindlay9760 On Alonso's stats and finishing positions.

[@novafm8928]

I would make a few changes to the list; 1) 2001 Minardi PS01 2) 2015 McLaren MP4/30 3) 2017 McLaren MCL32 4) 2016 McLaren MP4/31 5) 2018 McLaren MCL33 6) 2009 Renault RS28 7) 2014 Ferrari F14T 8) 2008 Renault RS27 9) 2003 Renault RS23

[@purwantiallan5089]

2015 McLaren MP4/30 should've been 1st and not 2nd.

[@Garagefoxx]

I know that the Minardi was Slow AF, but god DAMN was it pretty...

[@jdbruiser]

It also had Tarso Marquez in it...

[@rumblefish9]

And yet Alonso got provisional pole in that Minardi.

[@Garvm]

I saw that car live last week and it was not very impressive. Very simple design.

[@johndaniels4623]

The best irony, is that prior to 2019 with RB, Honda’s best finish was in 2018, with a 4th place finish with Toro Rosso Bahrain, higher than the McLaren chassis finished

[@Aldas001]

As much as I love Alonso, the biggest reason he hasn't had the fastest car more than once and drivers like Hamilton, Senna, Prost etc.. have is because of Fernando Alonso himself

[@rds6962]

Alonso would have easily won more championships if he had Vettel's cars. Especially his Newey rocketships and Best of the grid 2017 and 2018 Ferraris. Alonso would have beat Hamilton to the title if he was in the 2017 and 2018 Ferraris. Vettel wasted the best cars.

[@MrTrick.]

Aldas ftw

[@ciaronsmith4995]

@@rds6962 Wrong.

[@utasajaia5681]

@@rds6962 not a fact, just another speculations. Alonso is the most overrated driver right now.

[@coyy9106]

@@rds6962 I don't think you can completely blame this season on Vettel. There were so many strategic errors this season as well as moments of pure bad luck, for both top teams. I think in general it was a messy season in the race for the championship. And it came down to the team with less mistakes. But for example, little things like releasing Seb first in Q3 at Monza basically determined who won the race; Seb was instantly vulnerable to Hamilton at the start and all it took was a risky move round the outside. Had Kimi been released first, Seb would've had that block and that opportunity for the win. So when you think about it one of Seb's collisions was actually manifested by the team, sure the end result could have been stopped by Seb. But yeah. Little things like that did really contribute towards the end of the season.

[@syc2543]

He is quite patient, many would have quit F1 sooner than endure bad cars, given his talent and status.

[@TR.372]

he was getting payed 40 million a year during the McLaren Honda partnership

[@syc2543]

@DESTROYER67732 there is no team he has been in he has given less than 2 seasons. 2 stints with Renault one period for 4 seasons where he won 2 titles and the second stint for 2 seasons. 2 stints also with McLaren. First one season in 07 then four seasons from 15-18. He gave Ferrari 4 seasons finishing 2nd three times narrowly missing out on the final race twice. Then there is the 2 beginner seasons in Minardi. I think the willingness to believe in the projects of some fallen Giants twice for those periods of times shows great character and definitely patience. Honestly I believe his final seasons in McLaren he was fed some bull to keep the outfit relevant with a top tier driver to attract investment when they were nowhere near competitive levels.

[@syc2543]

@@TR.372 I think he deserves the 40million given his talent and titles. It's the only thing that probably kept him there believing their false dawns.

[@ciaronsmith4995]

@@syc2543 You think a guy that blackmails his own team deserves 40 million? Don't ever go into business. Thanks.

[@markhenley3097]

@@ciaronsmith4995 Well it was the team that was cheating.

[@SceneArtisan]

For McLaren to be in this list for 50% of it is a sorry testament to the spectacular failure of the once great team. Zak Brown has a lot to answer for.

[@thenekomancer3867]

Kris A it's not really his job to design the cars

[@SceneArtisan]

I agree, it's his job to get the best out of his team or if not GET a team together that can do the job. Ever since he took over the helm, the team has been struggling, ever since Ron Dennis departed and then even more so after Martin Whitmarsh's poor tenure as team principal.

[@VisualBoyAdvance54]

@@SceneArtisan McLaren started struggling well before Zak Brown took over...

[@SceneArtisan]

I know, that's why I said: ,.."ever since Ron Dennis departed and then even more so after Martin Whitmarsh's poor tenure as team principal."... I know full well the blame doesn't lay it ZB's feet entirely, but he certainly hasn't helped (despite his best efforts I'm sure).

[@Euclides287]

The *downfall* of Mclaren started when they let Hamilton leave for Mercedes. Ham was the one making their cars look really fast. JB struggled massively with the *2012* car, struggling to make Q3 even tho Lewis was dragging it to pole position. JB even went as far as to say it was the *worst* car he had ever driven. It's no surprise Mclaren was nowhere in *2013* when JB became their main driver and source of input.

[@Whoosie782]

Interviewer: Which McLaren was your baddest Alonso: yes

[@richboy900]

He'd most likely say the honda one 😂

[@KN-ko8ez]

The one with the GP2 engine?

[@lgetz1]

Alonso very nearly dragged the F2012 to championship glory. That car was a dog compared to the Red Bully and McLaren that year. If not for Grosjean stupidly wiping him and others out at Spa, Fernando might have won the title. Managed to get the most out of inferior cars time and time again.

[@nanderlizernanderlizer684]

yeah but mclaren broke down all the time and had a shit team

[@xillex819]

yeah thats true but you must think to if Hamilton wouldnt retire 3 times when he was the leader,he would be worldchampion

[@jonathinrice914]

@@xillex819 NO!...Go watch all the races!....Hamilton was crashing his brains out every other weekend!

[@vrs9486]

@@jonathinrice914 But Alonso's car was worse than Hamilton's when both were on track and working, Fernando was in the inferior car.

[@vrs9486]

@@xillex819 Obviously Hamilton would've been world champion instead of Alonso ( which I know he wasn't) but let's imagine that Fernando won the 2012 title, if LH hadn't broken down so much, it would've been him obviously since he had a better car, but that doesn't matter, no one says that Alonso only won in 2012 because Hamilton broke down a lot, that isn't the point, the point is that even with an inferior car, the man was up there fighting against Vettel and Lewis.

[@samnorcliffe5265]

Imagine had Alonso gone to Mercedes instead of Hamilton

[@samlowry9521]

He would be 8 times world champion.

[@discinfiltrator]

Yes, which also leads me to all the critics saying that Alonso should have stayed at Ferrari. At the most, maybe he would have gotten a chance in 2018 at the championship.

[@discinfiltrator]

@@Aurantius_ The driver does not design the car; the job of the driver is to drive the car as fast as possible, as well as give input on how the car can be improved. The 2014 Ferrari was the worst of the decade. Maybe someone should ask Raikkonen, what he thinks of that car.

[@richboy900]

@@Aurantius_ kind of agree with this. Luca said it best, with Fernando it was Fernando above Ferrari. I also believe it was Vettel who gelled with the engineers better and got the car to where it was development wise. Alonso is a better driver for sure, but he'd lose interest on the bad days or when the car wasn't winning.

[@laszlomatko9981]

Imagine Alonso AND Hamilton had gone to Mercedes

[@TheRomanRuler]

Minardi at least has excuse of having so tiny budget. Some teams had larger budget for just one season than Minardi had over multiple seasons put together.

[@bamba1484]

4:36 "somehow a fastest lap in the Italian gran prix" somehow ? I tell you how, they pitted him like 10 laps before the end, changed tyres to the softest compound possible just to get that fastest lap.

[@Sum_Ting_Wong]

Shame on McLaren really....

[@yellow_x522]

That's what happens when a team trusts a manufacturer who only spent two years of research on a new era of engines.

[@julose2678]

@@yellow_x522 thats a trash excuse lmao

[@stormrider01]

And Honda

[@julose2678]

Im 100% certain its alonsos fault

[@Torcidas-ts1lx]

Look at them now

[@turboboy1983]

He can’t play the game. Lewis said it best, “One if the best drivers yet, one of the worst politicians.”.

[@big_beethoven]

XD

[@johnnyflipflop648]

Imagine if Fernando would’ve had a manager like toto wolf for his career to do the politics for him

[@richboy900]

@@johnnyflipflop648 certainly would be better than that cheating pos flavio

[@angel.3006]

@@richboy900 Gotta be honest Flavio was a good manager, until he did that crashgate shit because Alonso was leaving Renault*.

[@rpols22]

Vety good video. I really love the historical type F1 videos. Great Job!

[@AndresGrimace]

Great driver, but really bad team choices from him and his management.

[@xillex819]

you must see it so: Without the bad strategy Alonso would be worldchampion in 2010 Without Grosjean he would be worldchampion in 2012 so i dont think the Ferrari move was such a bad decision and i understand his choice to McLaren too why he should go to Force India or something like that,when the 3 big teams doesnt want him anymore? then there ist that McLaren team with the new engine,new chances

[@MrBurgerphone1014]

Love the look of that 2001 Minardi

[@mediacc8372]

good old time

[@tylersteinberg6468]

Honorable mention, McLaren not qualifying for the 2019 500, getting knocked out by the likes of Juncos

[@bonamin]

McLaren uses Honda engines -> the car fails. Red Bull uses Renault engines -> the car works. McLaren uses Renault engines -> the car fails. Red Bull uses Honda engines -> the car works. Yeah, the problem was Honda and Renault. Not McLaren. hahahhaha

[@elianioriofarrell]

Are you joking? Red Bull had a shit time with the Renault engine in recent years.

[@stormrider01]

McLaren is bullshit

[@jbbzxy6749]

Might want to think again about McLaren Renault

[@olmomedina1339]

@@jbbzxy6749 Why? It's still thrash. Fighting for 7th (Or 6th because one of the best 3 cars is driven by a shit driver) is not what a good car does.

[@olmomedina1339]

@rodrigo lacal Plus Red Bull has better aero. The honda engine at least doesn't break anymore but it's still thrash, even Renault has better top speed

[@ZimmermanTelegram]

Now he's in the 2nd fastest car. Great career move

[@reisanibal1]

Guys guys.. before making this comment section a warzone, keep in mind that "fastest" does not necessarily mean "best". For example, in 2005 McLaren had the fastest car, but Renault had the best overall. And in 2012, again McLaren had the fastest car, but Red Bull had the best overall.

[@Bahamuttiamat]

It's impossible to distinguish the difference between fastest and best, especially in this context.

[@ciaronsmith4995]

​@@Bahamuttiamat Raikkonen at McLaren > Alonso any period. That is all I care about. www.ayrton-senna-dasilva.com/with-senna-in-mind/ Read Brundle's last paragraph and Boullier's comments.

[@chrestophir]

@@Bahamuttiamat it's not that difficult to distinguish. The fastest car might have more pole positions and be capable of beating the 'best' car on track. However the best car can beat it through being more mechanically reliable, better on its tyres, or a more consistent performer on different types of tracks. The McLaren has on many occasions been the fastest car on the grid, but evidently not the 'best' given its solitary championship from 2000-2012.

[@JAPYGT]

@@ciaronsmith4995 Ahahahah Again?

[@marcoar3109]

Ferrari was the best overall, RedBull was only better at the 2nd half of the season, if i'm not wrong Ferrari didn't have a single DNF by engine, suspension or brakes like RedBull and McLaren.

[@exiledrabbit]

McLaren always saying it was all Honda's fault they sucked, but McLaren also sucked with Mercedes in 2014 and then Renault in 2018, and now Honda is winning with RBR...

[@Smart1529]

McLaren got called out with their own errors with their chassis. That 2014 and 2018 car had no reason to be slow

[@frmnNnj]

I mean they were pretty good in 2014 and the 2018 car wasn’t *too* bad

[@PercyFan7508]

0:16 14 Championships in one picture

[@BenKill]

To be honest, Williams was pretty good in 2014.

[@mulsanne1]

Untill...

[@kvisser26games25]

@@mulsanne1 lance $troll 2017

[@idiotamerica6422]

@@kvisser26games25 To be fair, Massa existed so they got consistently good points. 2018-2020 was hell tho

[@ebi3324]

Only because of Mercedes engine which was a 5 level better than any engine in 2014

[@Mago.-]

@@ebi3324 adn 15...16...17...19....2020... probably next year too. Geez people used to be so salty about v10 era and schumacher dominating everyone... but come on, schumi fought hard in 98 (sadly his leg put him out for an amount of races), 99, 2000 (he won it by less than 20 points) 2003 (ONLY 2 POINTS) and even on 2006 if it wasnt for that dnf on susuka, he would've probably won that year too... The last 6 years of f1 have been worst than a kid playing f1 games career mode on easy, and wining with 250 points of difference winning everysingle race. Disgusting

[@mclaren5543]

The Minardi reminds me on an Indycar!

[@steruss9481]

Surely the '01 Minardi should get a pass, Alonso was a rookie back then and Minardi had a budget of approximately 37p, the fact that Minardi could even make the grid was a miracle.

[@MidwestDIY]

Schumacher also won two back to back titles, with not the fastest car (Williams was top), then went to Ferrari (that hasn't won't in 20 years, and in 4 years slowly transformed Ferrari into top, Schumacher was great driver but also in helping team to get better that was his genius to me, Hamilton is another driver that can help team, there is a reason Mercedes continues in top form is Hamilton feedback to engineers.

[@alancavy]

And also because Mercedes puts in the most money compared to every other twam

[@richboy900]

It's true, McLaren went backwards even before Mercedes power unit departure when Lewis left

[@leart78]

lol, Scumbager sponsors decided to sell the title to Hakinen just to dont have Irvine world champion in 1999 due to their investment to have only Scumbager for champion

[@robert.39]

Seemed like an interesting video, realised it was autosport after clicking on it. Closes video.

[@lukastrljic4427]

I feel bad for him tho because he has so much talent and he couldn't use that potential because of the slow cars he got

[@joshbouman1654]

Jensen Button sticks out to me as someone who had maybe the worst luck in F1 history. Outside of 2009, he got stuck with plodders like the 2007 Honda, just couldn't catch a break.

[@richboy900]

Surely that'd have to be kimi. He lost 3 titles just because of reliability issues

[@bazarovism]

It is also important to note that gap between teams. For example in 2016 mercedes was so dominat. Gap between mercedes and other cars was so drastic. Sometimes difference between first and second fastets car in the grid is small like in this year.

[@BrendanP]

Very interesting video!

[@Yankeeunit91]

2023 here Is is at the moment p3

[@harrisonduncan8367]

I think he’s one of the most talented drivers but I’m skeptical on his ability to develop a car

[@rutar2008]

Drivers don't develop cars. That's engineers and mechanics job. Drivers only drive and test the car on track or on the simulator. Seriusly, since when the drivers design the cars? Very stupid statement

[@jonatanreyna7999]

@@rutar2008 there are drivers who are better at feedback and can work hand to hand with the engineers and designers, just like raikkonen

[@rutar2008]

@@jonatanreyna7999 And Alonso too. How would a double world champion don't know the feedback of a F1 car? He was just unlucky that Ferrari and McLaren didn't produce a champion car.

[@ctm9364]

@@rutar2008 what your saying is completely wrong. Drivers do effect the development of a car. If a driver doesnt perform, then the team gets affected. The driver causes the team to get on a lower position on the constructors the team doesnt get money to develop the car. And if they dont have the finances, they dont have the materials Honestly think before trying to prove an idiotic point. Not to mention. Drivers also have set ups

[@tucoramirez4558]

@@rutar2008 "Seriusly, since when the drivers design the cars? " Since *forever* you ignoramus. It's still the *driver* which provides direct feedback to the engineers *exactly what* areas need to be improved and in what direction their development should be focused. I don't know what universe you live in but some drivers have been praised by their engineers to be "great development drivers" . That's because they how to lead the development and make the engineers work together with them. Not on their own! Drivers are *imperative* in developing the car.

[@robberyproductions1363]

When the worst car he drove was a car that atleast has the status to be one

[@Andrew-zx9wx]

Nice roundup, but I wish the background music was louder 🙃

[@insertname8889]

Alonso "surprise" split from Ferrari

[@aniqanuar6320]

i wonder what happens if all the drivers race with identical cars

[@VMKAROUND365]

Then it will become all about the drivers but the core of f1 is how the performances and innovation drives the car industry.

[@fjendifnrjdnfjfbfkdndkddkd8894]

Out of the current f1 grid Max Verstappen would probably win

[@spaceyworldx0002]

Kaden Ayre nah Lewis

[@y0lefted]

It would just be the best qualifier. If they had identical cars they wouldn’t be able to overtake with the current aero. So probably Lewis

[@richboy900]

@@fjendifnrjdnfjfbfkdndkddkd8894 I'd wager it'd be lewis or max. Those are the two stand out drivers imo

[@martinmhs4173]

I wonder if Hamilton, vettel, raikonnen could have achieved the results an wins that alonso did in those substandard cars. The fact is vettel has had one of the best cars on the grid the last 2 years, an hasn't been within 10 points, never mind 1 point of a world championship, neither was Hamilton In his non championship McLaren years. What does this say about alonsos sheer skill an ability an adaptability. A heck of a lot I say.

[@joshfilms175]

Very well done!!

[@andyparker2119]

That McLaren clearly 👍🍻

[@mashandpeas]

Surely minardi 2001 oh and Renault 2009

[@1barnet1]

However Minardi had very limited budget and an engine that was generations old. Sure it was bad but there isn't much to blame here. Now the Mclaren's that's another matter entirely.

[@AP0ll012]

No its Mclaren and Ferrari

[@SilverScarletSpider]

The 2018 McLaren Renault car was just funny. All that talk about aerodynamics only to fall flat on its face and be clearly slower than Renault and Red Bull.

[@fixer10091994]

Whered you get the sideview graphics from?

[@JaySantanaofficial]

All the speculations in the comments masked as professional opinions 😂🤦🏿‍♂️

[@tomahawkmedia2546]

Of course Honda has to take some of the blame but when they were being blamed for literally everything it just made McLaren look silly when they were finally displaying results without Honda in 2018

[@mr.anonymous4243]

Gotta give some love to NASCAR and how everyone is pretty much driving the same thing as the other. Only a few minor things are different from one car to the other

[@Cristi323]

I wonder what he thinks about all of this. I'm watching F1 from 2011 and I really wanted to see him win a title, as his talent and skills clearly showed through out all of this years. I hope he writes a book about all of this one day. I have a feeling that Max is gonna replace Hamilton at Mercedes in the near future, maybe then he can come back to Red Bull and give it another shot ? Would still like to see him race, regardless...

[@mpa1931]

0:16 GOAT podium

[@kimi7mf167]

McLaren done 2 things to destroy a team 2 1:teammates that hated each other what they fixed in 2015 2:choice of engine why has McLaren picked Renault when Red bull was having a really bad 2017 and 2018 was not improving at all

[@venkatasaikirangurram4280]

Because no one would give them their engines . Mercedes and Ferrari would never give their engines to let Alonso challenge them.

[@kimi7mf167]

@@venkatasaikirangurram4280 it's not because of Alonso 1: Mercedes had issues with McLaren 2:why would Ferrari give them a engine when they already got 3 teams on the grid with they engine and same as Mercedes 3:Alonso is probably the best driver from the last 20 years but just the engine is not winning you a race look at force India and Williams with out the Mercedes they are last

[@solidoperative]

Will you do a best car list?

[@batuhandeveci2831]

Good Video

[@LEgiON0022]

Now we can fight.

[@FullOilBarrel]

Fernando Alonso is the reason why his career stagnated

[@richboy900]

He's his own worst enemy. Incredible talent, but bad decisions and toxic like nature

[@justyummy9092]

And it was a Honda engine that won the indy500. The former f1 driver Takuma Sato won that Indy 500, and he mentioned that Alonso’s said he is afraid of staying in a crowd of the oval course that he decided to lead the race for many laps. Guess what? That strategy blew the engine. Lol

[@FrontSideBus]

It's funny how, given the chance of taking one of those cars for a blast around a racetrack... I'd go with the Minardi every time!

[@Qwepzy]

Only 1 fastest car? It’s a Yolk!!!😂

[@AP0ll012]

Renault

[@mattfry3851]

For me, Alonso is the greatest of them all.

[@tjitse3916]

Can't helpt it though, with its past, that when I saw the Minardi PS01 i immediatly felt 'ah what the hell, might have been statistically his worst, but i love the damn thing'.

[@tonkinesenchill4240]

I think it would be fair to say he had the best car in 2005/2006 I mean the mclaren at the time was generally quicker but their reliability totally negated that advantage

[@daniyalrehman3886]

The fact that he was able to win 2 world championships from the remainder of his career is a testament to his ability as a driver

[@MrTechselect]

8 points is all that separates him and 5 world championship titles. That's an even better statistic of his talent.

[@billnyetherussianspy2137]

@Aaron Alonso was clearly faster than fisichella. 2005-06 wasn't a 2010-2013 or 2007 situation. And in 2010-2013 proved that even on a good day for Massa he was faster by a lot

[@ciaronsmith4995]

@@billnyetherussianspy2137 Alonso was slower than Trulli. Can you imagine if in the V10 period Michael or Kimi in his PEAK years was his teammate? He would have been molested.

[@piedra16kr7]

@@ciaronsmith4995 Wtf Alonso slower than Trulli???HAHAHAHAHA that's the best joke I've ever heard

[@ciaronsmith4995]

@@piedra16kr7 Of course he was. Outqualified by Jarno over two years together. And Trulli beat him in 2004, 46-45, before Jarno left the team in Monza that year. Jarno also won a race that year, while Alonso won ZERO. I repeat: Trulli was faster than Alonso.

[@mick28899]

God bless the GP2 engine :D

[@samueljayachandran2849]

The 2012 Ferrari is also one of the worse cars Fernando Alonso started a season with but the car ended up being very driveable, comfortable, consistent but just lacked pace really. He was qualifying 7th even in crucial races like Abu Dhabi, USA, Brazil. A season like 2012 was unpredictable and that’s what allowed everyone to have a moment in the sun. That’s the kind of season that makes every F1 fan fall in love with the sport. It’s the Toro Rosso podiums one Hockenheim 2019, São Paulo 2019, Monza 2008, Williams in Baku 2017, Force India in Baku 2018 etc.,. It’s the comeback stories of Sebastian in 2012, Hamilton in early 2018, the grit of Vettel in 2010, the spirit of Alonso in Valencia 2012, that’s what makes this sport beautiful.

[@ninaplugge5510]

Can we just appriciate how patient and talented he is

[@SPWGAMING550]

I think the 2017 McLaren chassis was very good(4th fastest ) but the 2018 car lacked development like the 2013 Ferrari

[@bazarovism]

How does a good team in one season fall behind next season unless a major regulation take place?

[@SPWGAMING550]

@@bazarovism The 2018 McLaren lacked correlation and did not respond well upgrades , you can see the difference onboard with Alonso in the 2017 and 2018 car

[@eSstonY99]

@@bazarovism They didn't fall behind, they were behind, only thing is they didn't move forward. It happens mate, Renault fell behind in 2007 and it wasn't a regulations change whatsoever. Same with Brawn GP when they became Mercedes at the end of 2009, they didn't win until 2012.

[@Fakumanygy]

And the fastest lap at Hungary 2017

[@indranigomes9874]

I think it was quick in the corners but slow in the straights and had high drag (as it was this year) but they believed the straight line deficit was due to Honda but then they found out they played a large role as well.

[@supergaga1712]

Senna dis not have the fastest car 6times. He had it for 88 through 91- that's 4 years. 92 was the op Williams, 93 same, and in 94 the Benetton was clearly faster.

[@tucoramirez4558]

The 1991 Williams was the fastest car but it was also unreliable. By mid 1991 Williams won 4 straight races and overtook McLaren for the lead in the constructors' . Fastest laps is usually a good measure of how fast a car is in race pace and Williams had 8 fastest laps in 1991 compared to 4 for McLaren. Here's another thing: McLaren led 502 laps in 1991 and Williams 421. What won the 1991 title for McLaren were their (and Senna's) reliability. Senna had a 95,3% reliability rate in 1991, compared to Mansell's 78,9%. Bear in the mind that the Williams FW14 in 1991 was just slightly improved into the all-dominant FW14B in 1992 which easily won both titles. Example: Mansell led 68 out of 69 laps in the 1991 Canadian GP. His gearbox broke down on the last lap and he limped home in 6th. (The gearbox malfunctioning also meant Mansell had the retire from the first three races of the 1991 season.) Then there was the electronics giving up when he was leading in Belgium. Now, had it not been for last lap gearbox issue in Canada and electronics in Belgium Mansell would have won both those races. He'd then have 20 more points and Senna 4 points less (not winning at Spa). They thus end up in the same points but Mansell is champion by virtue of winning 1 more race. Long story short. The 1991 McLaren may have been the overall best car in 1991 but it definitely wasn't the fastest. It was clear already that the Williams was the better package. In 1992 this was proved undoubtedly. The 1990 McLaren was the best car on fast tracks but it was also clear that slower tracks with tighter curves favored the 1990 Ferrari. In Portugal for instance Ferrari qualified a clear 1-2 and given how much further Berger was in the other McLaren it's safe to say Senna's qualifying made the McLaren look closer in pace than it actually was. Again, if we're to look at the fastest laps as an indication of raw speed of the cars the 1990 season gives us 5 fastest laps for McLaren, 5 for Ferrari and 5 for Williams. Prost won 3 races in a row mid-season in 1990 and after winning the British GP Prost was leading the point standings with 41 points to Senna's 39. The Honda V10 was the best engine. The Ferrari 641 was arguably the best chassis. Was the 1990 McLaren the fastest car or did just Senna's fantastic pace make it look better than it was? I'd make an argument of the 1985 Lotus being the fastest car. After all nobody led more laps than Senna did in 1985. As fast as the Lotus was it was also unreliable and Senna inexperienced at the time.

[@xillex819]

imagine there are people who say the 94 benetton wasnt better than the Williams

[@felipejoaquin14]

My list: 8-Renault RS27 7-Ferrari F14T 6-McLaren MP4/31 (it was a good car, they qualyfied in the 3rd position once) 5-Renault RS28 4-McLaren MCL32 3-McLaren MCL33 (the Bspec car) 2-Minardi PS01 1-McLaren MP4/30

[@blainy-o93]

Thing is though Button dragged that car to third on the grid on a wet Red Bull Ring. On Sunday they went backwards.

[@typhoontm5444]

I call Fernando’s 2015-16 car the “Dark Nightmare”

[@everythingman987]

In 2007 the F2007 was faster than the McLaren. It took more poles and more fastest laps, and not counting spygate and McLarens exclusion, it was 38 points ahead in the constructors championship. The 2006 Renault was the only time Alonso drove the fastest car on the grid.

[@TenaciousE03]

Had all the points scored by McLaren drivers from 2007 been counted, they would have had 218 points in the constructors. That's 14 more than Ferrari

[@mrthor6539]

Best car only 2007, come back win 2/3 world title. #nothingisimpossible

[@gokberkonem8869]

Renault's 2009 car was called R29 and 2008 car R28. Listed mistaken on the list in the end.

[@stooby267]

Up until he left Alonso was still one of if not the best driver on the grid, his entire career has been plagued with underperforming cars and if not for that I belive he'd be easily a 5 time champion and maybe more

[@7Deejay]

Renault, Mclaren, Ferrari with Alonso the driver : This car is a Yolk, yolk, GP2 engine? *everybody tried to understand, develop the car again *Alonso quit Ferrari, Renault (Red Bull engine) : Oh what Alonso said was is a Joke, and F2 engine, we understand now *Redbull wins championship with renault power, Ferrari was improved and compete with Mercedes So next year Mclaren will be improve right? if the curse of Alonso is true anyhow this curse made him a legend right? best driver with ordinary car

[@sackboydrake]

He's simply the best driver of his time, better than both Vettel and Hamilton for sure.

[@TheJGJR9]

tbh i think that the 2016 mclaren Livery might be my favorite ever

[@connortheandroidsentbycybe7740]

Imagine if, after his fall out with McMerc, he'd went to Red Bull for 2008

[@mustsilm]

I counted 3 fastest cars. 2005 Renault 2006 Renault 2007 Mclaren

[@sota_59]

2005 McLaren 2006 Ferrari

[@marcoar3109]

@@sota_59 2005 R25 2006 1st Half R26 with Mass Damper = 3 tenths of a second advantage every lap / 2nd half F248 with Schumi beating Alonso's ass.

[@marcoar3109]

You forgot 2012 with the best Ferrari from 2009 to 2013, it was even superior to RedBull in the first races.

[@TheGreatVivek7]

@@sota_59 How on earth was McLaren the faster car in the year 2005 when Renault won the constructors championship that year.

[@sota_59]

@@TheGreatVivek7 Did you watch F1 that season? Silly question.

[@TheOriginalGankstar]

What an obnoxious statement of "fact" at the beginning of this video which is but a mere fiction.

[@adrct]

Where do you take these numbers from? Senna had the fastest car in the grid in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. In 1991, in particular, his car was not even the fastest, although it was the most endurable, In 1994 his car was definitely not the fastest until a couple of races after his death.

[@sandromiguel6061]

I still think the Spanish GP upgrade made the car look and perform worst

[@carriecoltart5661]

Autosport: how much do you want to be in this video Meclaren:yes

[@Rodrinki]

The 2018 Mclaren is better than the 2017. The 2016 Mclaren is better than the 2017.

[@BrandoMan]

I think I agree

[@mgm7756]

Awesome!

[@matthiascerebri3315]

Can you make an entire list?

[@abc20002koonrsr]

Move on guys , good or bad does it really matter , ferrari had the best car this year and got bananas . The future is more interesting, talk up alonso suprise return to ferrari in 2020 , that more like it

[@Vyppaaa11]

Alonso is his own worst enemy. His attitude and etiquette sunk his career.

[@darkalman]

The Minardi didn't deserve that, they did what they could with the limited budget The MP4-30 was a terrible car by a team + engine manufacturer that should have known better And it almost killed him in testing...

[@thehuggingsimmy1765]

I think the fact that he has accomplish everything that he did with "average machinery" justifies immensely how much a good driver Fernando is.

[@j.hannoodles7242]

In my opinion, Hamilton started with the best cars. McLaren's car was good that time and then switched to Mercedes which was one of, if not the best car on the grid. I think Hamilton isn't the fastest.

[@tucoramirez4558]

87 pole positions. 6 in his rookie season. At least 1 every single season so far. 4 in 2009 when Butoon had 4 in the Brawn and Vettel 4 in the Red Bull - both of which were superior cars. Mercedes was 5th in the 2012 constructors' championship standings when Hamilton signed for them. There was no guarantee they'd be future winners.

[@richboy900]

@@tucoramirez4558 yeah the 09 McLaren was a dog of a car, and he still won. People say lewis has the best car, but look where McLarens form went once he left the team (that's with wc button driving for them and even before the mistake of going to honda power). A good driver can drive the best car to victory. A great driver can drive a team to achieve that success along with that car.

[@wingzero2348]

@@richboy900 Schumacher best driver mechanic all time.

[@richboy900]

@@wingzero2348 yeah, schumacher was brilliant. It's like he had Hamilton's driving ability, possibly even better and Vettels passion and team motivation. I dont rate vettel anywhere near lewis, but I do believe he played a part in getting the Ferrari to where it was. Think Lewis said that of him also

[@wingzero2348]

@@richboy900 When you go a second faster than anyone in qualifying after a broken leg shows how lighting fast he was.

[@Ikarus63LP]

When it comes to Alonso, it's ALWAYS the car. It's never the driver.... 🤔

[@johnmcflurry2417]

You said it man, unfortunately you are right.

[@samuel_boivin]

The guy seems to drag the team down at the slightest trouble... I wonder what the guys in the garage felt like building a car for Fernando

[@xillex819]

well in his career it was,because he always performed better than the car was able to

[@wallyroyal]

2:08 At what race did the 2008 renault have Bridgestones on the front and Michelins on the rear, tyregate scandal 🤔

[@BoyFromBelgium99]

Looks like Honda-power for McLaren was a waste in the past. I doubt that RedBull will also get the curse in 2019. It's an example how the f1 world is now, with the ups & downs for each team. I hope that each driver just like Fernando will experience the problems through different years.

[@tucoramirez4558]

They won't. For starters even a fair-weather driver like Vettel knew how to extract the maximum out of a car and this is why he'll most likely remain a top driver at a top team wherever he decides to go. Max Verstappen will very likely remain a serious challenger for the title and probably win one in the foreseeable future. Alonso only drove for top teams throughout his career (save for Minardi) and aside from his two titles at Renault went title-less for the following 12 seasons.

[@flcd_]

The man held down by his own ego, smh

[@colejones6312]

Dumb comment.

[@BRY4NFPS]

sorry to say this, but Honda has NEVER been the problem for McLaren in the V6 era. It was McLaren all the time.

[@tucoramirez4558]

And Alonso even more. And Honda's fault for insisting on him when Ron Dennis said no.

[@souldevil6997]

@@tucoramirez4558 what??? Keep the hate aside

[@jskim8418]

come to think of it now...I really doubt if Alonso would still have had a chance if he was to stay in Ferrari ... Looking what they did these recent years....They would of probably done everything to screw him up.

[@Nfulks96]

Alonso is the equivalent too Kurt Busch in NASCAR. Unreal driving ability, early success and championships, but hasn’t quite found the success due too not always driving the dominant car of the year. Oh yeah and they both also raced the Indy 500 and both were contenders as well.