In the words of Carlos Sainz Jr., “It’s a good time to be Spanish.” At the drivers’ press conference before the Hungarian GP, the Ferrari driver discussed how he’s proud of the sports culture in Spain, especially following Carlos Alcaraz’s maiden Wimbledon title. He said, “Every Sunday, someone wins, or someone is doing well, or there is someone to support and be excited about. And yeah, just proud of my country and the athletes we produce.” Carlos didn’t fail to mention Fernando Alonso in the list of sportspeople the country’s proud of. But while Spain was celebrating the 20-year-old’s Wimbledon exploits, Fernando Alonso shed light on the dark reality of success in F1 he started facing 20 years ago.

After joining the sport in 2001, Alonso finally experienced the feeling of standing on the top step of a podium in 2003 at the Hungarian GP. That was the first of his 32 career race wins to date, and he achieved it with the team that helped him to two consecutive drivers’ titles in 2005 and 2006—Renault. Returning to Hungary 20 years after his maiden race win, he was in a reminiscent mood and talked about the experience.

During the drivers’ conference on Thursday, he said, “It was obviously a magical moment of my life and my career as well. It changed a little bit everything after that. A podium was the realistic target. We ended up winning the race, and it was a little bit of a surprise, and we were very happy.” The interviewer Tom Clarkson then asked him what had changed after he got that first win. “It changed, especially off track, many things in my life. In Spain as well. No more privacy in my life since 20 years,” said the Spaniard.

Being famous is no easy task. And being a successful sportsperson in Spain is tougher, primarily because of the sports culture in the country. And once Alonso got his win, he was on the radar of every Spanish sports fanatic, and since then, privacy has become a fantasy for him.

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Being famous indeed comes with a price, a price that Alonso is paying. But he’s embraced the changes it brought to his life. He explained, “The first win is probably a big thing, and it happened to all the drivers. And, as I said, for me, it was a big change.” With 32 wins and 2 championships already under his belt, he’s aiming for his 33rd victory. Although a win at Hungary might not be in his cards, he hopes for at least a podium.

Fernando Alonso hopes Aston Martin will have something to celebrate in Hungary

From the start of the season, Aston Martin established itself as one of the top contenders on the grid. And although it hasn’t fought for a race win yet, Fernando Alonso has frequently appeared on the podium, most recently after his second-place finish at the Canadian GP. While Alonso said at the beginning of the season that he would stand on the podium at every race, that hasn’t quite worked out because some tracks suit the AMR23 more than others. And Spielberg and Silverstone were two tracks that weren’t the best for Aston.

But coming to the Hungaroring, with its predominantly slow corners and fewer straights, Alonso is hopeful about his team’s chances at the circuit. While reminiscing his good times at the Hungaroring, he said, “I have many good memories of racing at the Hungaroring. I won my first Formula One race in 2003, exactly 20 years ago, and it’s often where I celebrate my birthday. It will be strange to celebrate it this year in Belgium, but let’s hope we have something else to celebrate this weekend.” 

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Can Fernando Alonso return to the podium in Hungary, or maybe get a shock win and fulfill Mission 33?

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