Which records can Fernando Alonso break this season?

No one knows if Fernando Alonso went in search of the Fountain of Youth with Indiana Jones or Jack Sparrow, but the effects of age do not seem to affect him. 22 years after his debut in Formula 1, the Spaniard is still present in the sport and continues to write the pages of history.

With such longevity, some of the records he has established are unlikely, if not never, to be broken. Firstly, the number of starts. The two-time world champion has been leading this statistical category since the end of the 2022 season and he could surpass the 400 race mark.

One of the oldest drivers to assert himself.

For this new exercise, the Aston Martin driver can progress in the hierarchy, in many areas. Fernando Alonso could become one of the oldest drivers to win. Currently, he is in 67th position, but if he were to cross the finish line first, he would be propelled to the top of the standings. At almost 42 years old, he would surpass Nigel Mansell (7th), winner of the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, who was 41 years, 3 months, and 5 days old.

Similar to the statistic about the oldest drivers to step on the podium, the retirement age should be pushed back by a good ten years to reach the top.

The number of seasons with a victory.

If he were to succeed this year, it would be Fernando Alonso’s 10th season with at least one victory. The Spaniard won in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Currently in 7th place, he would move ahead of Ayrton Senna and equal Nelson Piquet and Sebastian Vettel. At the top of this category, tied for first place, are Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton with 15 seasons.

The oldest driver to achieve a pole position

Once again, he could make a leap in the hierarchy. Fernando Alonso is the 64th oldest driver to have achieved a pole position. He achieved this performance at the age of 30 years, 11 months, and 23 days during the 2012 German Grand Prix. In Canada last year, he could have started from the first position, but had to settle for second place. If he achieves another pole position in 2023, he could once again dethrone Nigel Mansell and move up to 5th place.

The longest time gap between two pole positions.

He is known to be very aggressive in the pursuit of the fastest lap. The Spaniard is capable of pushing his car to over 100% in order to start as high as possible on the grid. However, since 2012, he has not managed to start from pole position. If he were to achieve one with Aston Martin, he would surpass Kimi Räikkönen on the list for the longest gap between two poles. The Finn had a gap of 8 years, 11 months, and 6 days between his pole in France in 2008 and in Monaco in 2017.

The number of career podiums.

He just obtained his 99th and he doesn’t plan on stopping there. Especially so close to the symbolic milestone of 100. It could happen in a few days as in Jeddah, during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the number 14 driver could once again play a leading role.

If his race car remains as performant throughout the season, he could surpass other great names in F1 in terms of career podiums: Kimi Räikkönen (103) or even Alain Prost (106).

The number of fastest laps in a race.

This is also an area where he has been silent for many years. His last best lap in a race dates back to the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix, when he was still driving for McLaren with a Honda engine.

Now, with more reliable and efficient equipment, the two-time world champion could catch up, especially since his car seems to be more designed for race pace than for qualifying. If the impressions left in Bahrain are confirmed and Fernando Alonso tries to impose his authority, he could also collect some points.

The number of times to reach the finish line.

He is already the leader in this category, but is closely pursued by Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard has finished a race 282 times, compared to 281 for the Briton. However, the advantage is in favor of the Mercedes driver. This may seem contradictory, but the seven-time world champion has a better ratio: 90.35% compared to 78.99% of completed Grand Prix races.

The number of Grand Prix races led with a different constructor.

Fernando Alonso and loyalty don’t seem to go hand in hand. Throughout his career, he has been associated with several teams: Minardi, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine, and Aston Martin. So far, he has achieved success with three of them and could potentially add another name to that list. If he were to do so, he would then join Juan Manuel Fangio in the list of individuals who have triumphed with four different constructors.

The number of seasons where he leads at least one lap.

He is now in his 14th season where he has led at least one lap. It was at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix that he managed to do it for the 14th time. In 2023, Fernando Alonso will have the opportunity to get closer to Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, who have done it 16 times.

Standings after the Bahrain Grand Prix 2023.