Fernando Alonso's last dance in Montmeló
The Asturian will come out last in a nostalgic race that will mark the beginning of the alternation
BarcelonaWe have to go back to May 12, 2013, to find Fernando Alonso's last Formula 1 victory. It was precisely in Montmeló. The then Ferrari driver, already crowned two-time world champion with the Renault team, was unsuccessfully trying to achieve a third crown with the Italian team. It never materialized, always in the shadow of Red Bull, the team that then made the difference in the competition. This Sunday, the Asturian driver, now with Aston Martin, will once again get into a single-seater on the asphalt of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but without any chance of victory. Not even of getting on the podium. As he himself admitted, it will "probably" be his last performance in front of the Catalan fans (3 p.m., DAZN).
It will be a special race for Alonso, who has been looking for "the 33" for more than thirteen years, which is the name given to his goal of winning a race again after the 32 triumphs he had accumulated in F1. After temporarily leaving the premier class of motorsport, it seemed he could dream of victory in the 2023 season, when he climbed onto the podium eight times. At that time, Aston Martin was a team that everyone took very seriously. Today, it is probably the worst team on the grid and Alonso, a resigned driver who will start from the last position in this Grand Prix.
The race, marked by nostalgia in the stands, will begin with George Russell (Mercedes) starting from the But even if he takes the step, the only thing that is certain is that next year Alonso will not compete in Montmeló. Neither he nor any F1 driver, as this is the last season in which the Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix is uninterruptedly part of the calendar. From this 2026, alternation begins and Montmeló will only be able to have one race every two years: it is signed for 2028, 2030 and 2032. Further ahead, we will see. Formula 1 – for a decade, in the hands of Liberty Media – was very comfortable in Catalan territory, but political doubts when negotiating the fee to keep the competition in Montmeló and Madrid's insistence on taking over the Spanish Grand Prix has tipped the balance.
'Pole' for Russell, followed by Hamilton and Antonelli
The race, marked by nostalgia in the stands, will start with George Russell (Mercedes) starting from the pole position, which was just 64 thousandths faster than Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), while Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), the clear leader of the World Championship, will start third.