For the first time in his career, it is Alonso who has the last laugh

Alonso's 'Dark Side'

In Drive to Survive, Alonso labels himself as a driver who finds himself on the 'Dark Side'. Not surprisingly, the much-discussed Spaniard also knows that he has caused a shockwave in the paddock on several occasions. He openly expresses his dissatisfaction with the team he drives for and can also leave such a team suddenly. It ensures that Alonso, meanwhile, is no longer welcome at every team, despite being seen by many as one of the best drivers.

It is not surprising that Alonso and Max Verstappen like each other. Both wear their hearts on their sleeve and fight a battle against the English media. Alonso has been irritated by this for years and Verstappen too noticed that he was put away differently in England after his duels with Lewis Hamilton. For Alonso, it also started that way after a duel with the Brit.

Alonso's career prospered through 2006. Under the wings of Flavio Briatore, the Spaniard gained confidence at Renault and took world titles with the French racing stable in 2005 and 2006. Michael Schumacher's run was broken and Alonso became the youngest F1 world champion of all time. His success was celebrated, but that was until he made a surprise switch to McLaren.

The duel with Hamilton

Ron Dennis brought him in as the new leader for 2007, as Kimi Raikkonen has left for Ferrari to succeed Schumacher. Alonso saw things were slowing down at Renault, but had not counted on Hamilton. The GP2 champion also made his debut at McLaren in 2007 and did not prove to be a simple second driver.

The internal struggle was not well managed by McLaren, which also resulted in a lot of leaking towards the media. The team also had their hands full with their own 'Spy Gate', losing the constructors' title that season. It also lost the drivers' title, mainly due to internal struggles.

Alonso appeared to have chosen the team well in terms of car, but the battle with Hamilton was not an easy one. In the British team, Alonso soon felt aggrieved and the British press was also on the side of McLaren junior Hamilton in Fernando's eyes. Both would fall short of the title, after which Alonso packed up and returned to Renault.

Alonso rejects Red Bull

It would prove to be the first miss of many, as Renault had long since fallen short of its former standard. Where Hamilton managed to take the world title in 2008 for McLaren, Alonso did not get beyond two race wins. He would later reveal that during that period Red Bull Racing were also knocking on the door, but the Spaniard did not have much faith in that project. He opted for Ferrari in 2010. In hindsight, not the right one.

Ferrari are attractive to almost every F1 driver, but in 2010 and 2012 Alonso also noticed the downside of the team. In the 2010 final in Abu Dhabi, Alonso lost a certain-looking title due to a strategic blunder on the pit wall. Outsider Sebastian Vettel, from Red Bull Racing of all places, walked away with the title. In 2012, things went wrong again. A forty-point lead in the summer break was given away in the second half of the season, allowing Vettel to take his third world title.

Alonso left the team with a row at the end of 2014. Ferrari failed at the new regulations that year, where Mercedes reigned supreme. Alonso also held talks with Mercedes at the time, but a contract never materialised. He returned to McLaren, who entered into an ambitious plan with Honda.

Leaving Ferrari at the wrong time

Where Red Bull Racing is now stringing together victories with Honda engines in the back of the car, Alonso did the heavy preliminary work. A 'GP2 engine' he called the Japanese product. That was not appreciated in Japan, causing a breakdown in the relationship between the team and the engine manufacturer. In hindsight, it turned out it was not only Honda's fault, but McLaren's car was simply not good enough.

After his return to McLaren also proved unsuccessful, Alonso quit F1. He watched Vettel fight for the world title with Hamilton at Ferrari in 2017 and 2018. A place he could have been in himself, but a bridge he had burned. He stepped out for a while and returned to Alpine in 2021. The former Renault team welcomed the two-time world champion grandly, but even their expectations didn't quite materialise. Engine problems especially plagued the Spaniard, who did show he can race with a podium result and a produce a great qualifying performance in Canada.

Lawrence Stroll convinces Alonso

Still, there were doubts at Alpine. At 41, Alonso is the oldest man on the grid and so he wasn't offered a multi-year deal. Alonso keeps Alpine waiting and out of the blue gets a chance at Aston Martin when Vettel announced his retirement. The team, who still finished over 100 points behind Alpine in 2022, does offer him a multi-year deal and that persuades Alonso.

In Drive to Survive, Alpine were seen chuckling at Alonso's departure. The Spaniard is bound to have made the wrong choice again and, according to Otmar Szafnauer, would have made the choice based mainly on salary. Perhaps it is all true, but for the first time in his career, Alonso is the last to smile after his podium in Bahrain.

While Red Bull Racing may be just too strong to have a serious chance of winning the title, Alonso has made the switch to the team that, at least in Bahrain, has the second-fastest car in the race. Alpine didn't score more than two points, McLaren scored no points at all and Ferrari and Mercedes are also not fast enough for the AMR23. The smile is impossible to get off his face after the race, and that is not surprising. After so many years in F1, things are finally working out for Alonso and he deserves it.