Fernando Alonso narrowly missed securing a fifth Formula 1 World Championship, falling short by a mere eight points across three separate seasons. His closest bids came in 2007 with McLaren, where he lost the title by a single point, and later during his tenure with Ferrari in 2010 and 2012, when he finished four and three points behind the champion, respectively.
Reflecting on those high-stakes campaigns, Stefano Domenicali, current Formula 1 CEO and Alonso’s former team principal at Ferrari, shared insights during an interview on the Italian podcast Il Fienile, hosted by former agriculture minister Luca Zaia. Domenicali described the championship battles as deeply emotional and challenging, highlighting the particular difficulties Ferrari faced in 2010.
“In 2010 we didn’t have the best car, but Alonso did an extraordinary job with the team,” Domenicali remarked, underlining how Alonso’s exceptional performance kept Ferrari competitive despite Red Bull’s superior machinery.
Red Bull’s internal feud opened the door
Another factor Domenicali mentioned was the intense internal rivalry within Red Bull between drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. He described the team dynamics as having “two roosters in the henhouse,” implying that the competition between the two teammates created opportunities for rivals like Alonso to capitalize, even if just narrowly missing out on the championship.
These reflections by Domenicali bring renewed attention to Alonso’s remarkable performances during an era when both team politics and technical challenges shaped the fiercely contested Formula 1 World Championships.
