Fernando Alonso becomes the driver with the longest career in Formula 1

MADRID, 12 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish driver Fernando Alonso (Alpine) has surpassed the German Michael Schumacher this Sunday and has become the driver with the longest career in the history of Formula 1, having turned 21 years, three months and eight days since his debut in 2001.

Since his debut with Minardi at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix and until this Sunday after the race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Spaniard, who will turn 41 on July 29, has completed 21 years, three months and eight days in the 'Great Circus', for which he breaks the record of the 'Kaiser', who was active for 21 years and three months.

In that time, in which he briefly retired between 2019 and 2021, Alonso took the wheel of Minardi (2001), Renault (2002-06 and 2008-09), McLaren (2007 and 2015-18), Ferrari (2010- 14) and Alpine (2021-). It was with Renault that he managed to go down in history by winning two world titles in 2005 and 2006.

In total, he has achieved 32 wins and 98 podium finishes in the 341 races in which he has taken part, finishing 221 of them in the points and completing a total of 18,427 laps.

Thus, he heads a historic podium in which the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher is second, with 7,763 days from the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix to the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix; and third the Finn Kimi Raikkonen, with 7,588 days from the 2001 Australian Grand Prix to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.