Fernando Alonso’s 2021 F1 season in statistics

Fernando Alonso returned to Formula 1 in 2021 and recorded his first podium in over seven years at the Qatar Grand Prix. Here’s Alonso’s comeback season in statistics!

A STATISTIC FROM EVERY GRAND PRIX

2021 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX

On his return to Formula 1, Fernando Alonso reached Q3 for the first time since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. This was his 27th consecutive appearance on which he has out-qualified his team-mate. Alonso failed to finish the race, recording his first non-finish in Formula 1 since the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix.

2021 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso finished eleventh on the road at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but a post-race penalty saw the Spaniard pick up his first point since the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix. In qualifying, Alonso was out-qualified by team-mate Esteban Ocon. It was the first time he was out-qualified by a team-mate since the 2017 Malaysia Grand Prix. This race marked Alonso’s 100^th appearance in car number 14.

2021 PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX

Finishing in eighth place, Fernando Alonso recorded his best result since his seventh place finish with McLaren at the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix. Alonso was out-qualified by Esteban Ocon on Saturday; the first time he’s been out-qualified by a team-mate at two successive races since the 2016 German and Belgian Grands Prix.

2021 SPANISH GRAND PRIX

At the Spanish Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso was out-qualified by his team-mate for a third consecutive race. It was the first time that the Spaniard has been out-qualified at three races in a row since the 2013 Japanese, Indian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. It was only the sixth time in his career that Alonso has been out-qualified at three races in a row.

2021 MONACO GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso qualified in seventeenth place for the Monaco Grand Prix. It was his first Q1 exit since the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix and the second time he has been out in Q1 at the Monaco Grand Prix. He was out in Q1 in 2010 following a crash in FP3. The 2021 Monaco Grand Prix marked the first time that Alonso has been out-qualified by his team-mate at four races in a row since Felipe Massa out-qualified him at the four races between the 2012 United States Grand Prix and the 2013 Malaysia Grand Prix. This is only the fourth time in Alonso’s career that he has been out-qualified at four races in a row.

2021 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso reached Q3 at Baku City Circuit for the first time. He qualified in ninth place, equalling his best Saturday result of the season so far. It was the first time since the Bahrain Grand Prix that Alonso out-qualified his team-mate. The Spaniard’s ninth place equalled the Enstone team’s best qualifying result at Baku City Circuit; Nico Hulkenberg also qualified ninth for Renault in 2018. Finishing the race in sixth place, Alonso recorded his first top six finish since the 2018 Australian Grand Prix. It was Alpine’s best result of the 2021 season to date.

2021 FRENCH GRAND PRIX

With ninth place in qualifying at the French Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso equalled his best qualifying result of the 2021 season so far. This was Alonso’s first Q3 appearance at Circuit Paul Ricard. The Spaniard went on to finish eighth, making this the fourth consecutive French Grand Prix in which one of Team Enstone’s cars has finished in eighth place

2021 STYRIAN GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso equalled his best qualifying result of 2021. The Styrian Grand Prix is the third race in a row at which Alonso has qualified in ninth place. This was only the second time that Alonso has qualified in the top ten in Austria. He qualified fourth with Ferrari at the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix.

2021 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso set a new record for most Q2 exits at the Red Bull Ring, after being eliminated in Q2 for a fifth time. The Spaniard went on to finish tenth, scoring for a fourth race in a row.

2021 BRITISH GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso gained positions in the first F1 Sprint. Having started eleventh, he was fifth by the end of the first lap and finished the session in seventh place. He went on to finish the Grand Prix where he started.

2021 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

After Vettel’s disqualification, Fernando Alonso finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in fourth place. This was Alonso’s first top five result in Hungary since 2015. The Spaniard has scored on every appearance at the Hungaroring since 2010. Alonso led two laps of the race. It was the first time he has led a race since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix – a new record for the longest gap between leading races.

2021 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX

With eleventh place, Fernando Alonso made this his third consecutive appearance at the Belgian Grand Prix in which he has failed to score. He last scored at the circuit in 2016, when he finished seventh with McLaren. This being his 324^th start, Alonso overtook Rubens Barichello as the driver to have started the second-most F1 races.

2021 DUTCH GRAND PRIX

For the sixth time in 2021’s thirteen races, Fernando Alonso qualified in ninth place. Alonso went on to finish in sixth place for the eighteenth time in his F1 career. As a result, he equalled Kimi Raikkonen as the driver on the 2021 grid with the most sixth place finishes. Only Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg and Jenson Button have recorded more sixth place finishes in their careers.

2021 ITALIAN GRAND PRIX

Finishing in eighth place, Fernando Alonso recorded his first points at the Italian Grand Prix since 2013, when he finished on the podium with Ferrari.

2021 RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso reached Q3 at the Russian Grand Prix for the first time since the inaugural race at Sochi Autodrom in 2014. With sixth place, Alonso recorded his best qualifying result since qualifying sixth with Ferrari at the 2014 United States Grand Prix. Alonso finished the race in sixth place, scoring for the ninth time in the last ten races. He matched his best ever Russian Grand Prix result, having also finished sixth at Sochi Autodrom in both 2014 and 2016.

2021 TURKISH GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso qualified in sixth place for a second consecutive race. Lewis Hamilton’s penalty meant that Alonso moves up to fifth on the final grid. It was his best starting position since starting fifth at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. That race, and the preceding Singapore Grand Prix, are the last consecutive races at which Alonso qualified inside the top six. After a first lap spin, Alonso finished only sixteenth. It’s only the second time that Alonso has failed to score at Istanbul Park. He finished tenth in 2009, one year before the position awarded points. He lost eleven places in the race – the equal-most positions that the Spaniard has lost in a race which he has completed. He also fell eleven places down the order at the 2010 British Grand Prix. It’s also the most positions that any driver has lost in a race which they have finished at Istanbul Park. The previous record was ten places lost, by Heikki Kovalainen in 2009. Alonso is only the second driver to not score points having started fifth in Turkey. The last time it happened was in 2006, when Nick Heidfeld finished only fourteenth.

2021 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso failed to finish the United States Grand Prix, recording his third consecutive DNF at Circuit of The Americas. This was Alonso’s his first retirement since the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

2021 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso was out in Q1 at the Mexican Grand Prix, recording his second Q1 exit of the year. He was also out in Q1 in Monaco. Alonso has never reached Q3 in Mexico, but this was his first Q1 elimination at the circuit since 2015. This was the first time Alonso has been out-qualified by his team-mate at the Mexican Grand Prix. With ninth place in the race, Alonso recorded his best ever Mexican Grand Prix result. His previous best was tenth, which he recorded with McLaren in 2017.

2021 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX

Fernando Alonso was fastest in Free Practice 2 at the Brazilian Grand Prix. It was the first time he has been fastest in a practice session since topping Free Practice 3 at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix with Ferrari. It was also the first time the Enstone team has been fastest in a practice session since Romain Grosjean was fastest for Lotus at the 2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2021 QATAR GRAND PRIX

With fifth place, Fernando Alonso recorded his best qualifying result since the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. Following grid penalties for other drivers, Alonso started from the top three on the grid for the first time since driving for Ferrari at the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix. Alonso went on to take his first podium finish since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix. With 146 races having passed since his last top three result, Alonso set a new record for the most races between two podium finishes. Losail International Circuit is the 27th at which Alonso has recorded a podium finish, putting him equal with Michael Schumacher for fourth in the list of most circuits at which a driver has taken a top three result. Alonso is only the second driver in their 40s to finish on the podium since Nigel Mansell at the 1994 Australian Grand Prix. The only other driver to have done so in the last 26 years is Michael Schumacher at the 2012 European Grand Prix.

2021 SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX

With thirteenth place, Fernando Alonso failed to score for the first time since the United States Grand Prix.

2021 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX

With eighth place, Fernando Alonso recorded his best Abu Dhabi Grand Prix result since finishing fifth in 2013.