Fernando Alonso reveals title regret from 20-year F1 career

The 42-year-old won two world titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 but reflected on missed opportunities with Ferrari

Fernando Alonso has revealed that not winning a Formula 1 title with Ferrari is one of his biggest regrets from his 20-year career.

The Spaniard, racing in his 20^th season in F1 this year with Aston Martin, burst onto the world stage after winning two titles in a row with Renault in 2005 and 2006, ending the championship win-streak of Michael Schumacher.

After a famously fractured solo season with McLaren alongside then-rookie Lewis Hamilton in 2007, Alonso returned to Renault before moving to Ferrari in 2010.

While at the Scuderia for five years, he finished runner-up in the championship three times and missed out in the final race of the 2010 and 2012 season to Sebastian Vettel – two moments he wishes he could have back.

“Winning a championship with Ferrari – that would probably be the first thing I’d choose,” Alonso told the High Performance Podcast.

“If I can go back in time to 2010, 2012, we were within a few laps to winning a championship and that could have changed a little bit the outcome of many things and the history behind a few things.”

The 42-year-old added that he would enjoy the moment of his championship triumphs more, too, if he had his time again.

“What I regret for sure and we touched [on this] before, was not enjoying more my time and my career,” he said.

Fernando Alonso reflected on his title regret with Ferrari (Getty Images)

“You know that I’m at the end of it. There is a new life, you know in a few years’ time for me without driving and when I look back to my career, I will see a lot of good things and friendships and incredible experiences but, yeah, I should have enjoyed more.

“I won the championship in Brazil, 2005 and 2006, and I hardly remember anything from those afternoons and nights, which is sad.”

After a dire spell back with McLaren, Alonso took a two-year hiatus from F1 in 2019 before returning with Alpine in 2021.

He shocked the paddock when he joined Aston Martin for 2023 but the move has paid off. With 10 races left, he is the best of the rest behind the Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, lying third in the standings and is one point ahead of rival Lewis Hamilton.