Born on 29 July 1981, Alonso began kart racing aged seven and won the CIK-FIA Five Continents Cup in 1996. He progressed to junior formulae aged 17, winning the Euro Open by Nissan in 1999. Alonso then finished fourth in International Formula 3000. He signed for Minardi in 2001, making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix.
After a non-scoring rookie season, Alonso joined Renault as a test driver. He was promoted to a full-time seat in 2003, becoming the then-youngest polesitter at the Malaysian Grand Prix and race winner at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso won his maiden title in 2005, becoming the first World Drivers' Champion from Spain and the then-youngest in Formula One history, aged 24. He successfully defended his title in 2006 against Michael Schumacher.
Alonso moved to McLaren for 2007, finishing one point behind champion Kimi Räikkönen. He returned to Renault in 2008, winning multiple races. Alonso signed for Ferrari in 2010, finishing runner-up to Sebastian Vettel by four points. He was runner-up to Vettel again in 2012 and 2013. After a winless 2014 season, Alonso returned to McLaren in 2015, remaining with the team until the end of 2018 before his first retirement from Formula One.
Alonso then moved into sportscar racing with Toyota, winning the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice. He returned to Formula One in 2021 with Alpine, recording his first podium in seven years at the Qatar Grand Prix. In 2022, he broke the record for most career starts. Alonso moved to Aston Martin for his 2023 campaign, achieving several podiums and finishing fourth in the World Drivers' Championship. He scored his 100th career podium at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. In 2024, he became the first driver to contest 400 Grands Prix.
Alonso joined Aston Martin on a multi-year deal in 2023 alongside Lance Stroll. On his Aston Martin debut at the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Alonso finished in third place. He finished in third again at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, marking his 100th podium. Alonso finished in third once again after a chaotic Australian Grand Prix. He took two podium finishes at Zandvoort and São Paulo. Alonso ended the 2023 season fourth in the standings, scoring 206 points. He remained with Aston Martin for the 2024 season, securing his best finish of the season at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he finished fifth. At the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix, Alonso competed in his four-hundredth Grand Prix weekend. He finished the 2024 season 9th in the standings with 70 points. Alonso began his 2025 campaign with Aston Martin at the Australian Grand Prix. He finished in fifth place at the Hungarian Grand Prix, his highest result of the 2025 campaign. Alonso ended the 2025 season 10th in the Drivers' Championship with 56 points. Alonso began his 2026 campaign with two retirements at Australia and China, and finishing 18th in Japan.
In endurance racing, Alonso won the 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship and is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota. He is also a winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019 with WTR. Alonso is the only driver to have won both the Formula One World Drivers' Championship and the World Sportscar/World Endurance Drivers' Championship. He entered the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, 2019 and 2020. Alonso runs a driver management firm, A14 Management, and has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005.
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