Fernando Alonso is the man who ended Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 reign, and became the then-youngest champion in F1 history. A second consecutive crown was confirmation of his brilliance, and with Schumacher retiring, Alonso seemed certain to replace him as the sport’s dominant superstar.

Agonisingly, no titles have followed in the intervening years. A fractious first move to McLaren, and subsequent spells with Renault and Ferrari, yielded success in the form of 17 victories and three championship runner-up finishes - but not the one piece of silverware he really desires. Perhaps ironically, it has been in inferior machinery that Alonso has come to be regarded as one of the finest drivers not just on the current grid, but in history. Given his calibre, his relentless hunger and determination, there is still much to achieve...

Born on July 29, 1981, in the Spanish city of Oviedo, Fernando Alonso’s racing career started when he was just three years-old, when he was the lucky recipient of a kart made by his father, originally for a less than enthusiastic older sister. Alonso took to racing like the proverbial duck to water. After four years spent ‘playing’ with the homemade kart, local and then national competitions swiftly followed.

The young Alonso’s talents knew no bounds and in 1992 he clinched the first of five Spanish karting championships, a tally only overshadowed by a world crown in 1996. Eschewing other series, the Spanish teenager was determined to finish his apprenticeship in karting. An offer to drive in Formula Nissan, however, proved too much of a temptation and Alonso joined ex-Formula 1 driver Adrian Campos’s team. With typical aplomb he won the title, showing he was more than capable of making the switch to racing with gears...