The Greatest of All Time. The GOAT—who is it? It’s an ever-present debate in almost every sport, with different people answering the question differently. In soccer, is it Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? In tennis, is it Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic? And in motorsport, is it Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso, or could Max Verstappen become the eventual title holder? While the GOAT title will always be up for debate, there were certain accusations regarding the FIA in Formula 1 that Alonso put a rest to. And he used Ronaldo and Messi to prove his point.

The two-time world champion was recently featured on BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, where he discussed a few instances that built his reputation as a “villain” or an “anti-hero” in F1. Unsurprisingly, his 2007 Hungarian GP qualifying incident came up. At that time, he was driving for McLaren, fighting for the championship. And during qualifying in Hungary, the FIA penalized him for stopping in the pit box for longer than he should’ve to hinder his then-rookie teammate Lewis Hamilton supposedly. While Alonso went on to get pole, Hamilton failed to start his final flying lap before the chequered flag because of the delay in the pits. He was awarded a five-place grid penalty.

In the podcast, Fernando was asked if he felt people were always out to get him. He replied, “No, not really. I think it was just some episodes. When you are 20 years on a competitive level in any sport, you will get some of these episodes. I think all the important names, you know, if we go to tennis or to football, maybe the right midfielder of one small team gets some episodes and no one knows anything about them.” While he does feel the penalty from the FIA he got was unfair, he believes the only reason it became so controversial and grabbed the limelight was because he was fighting at the top and was one of the most well-known names then.

He continued, “If Ronaldo or Messi or some of the big players, sometimes they get a yellow card or a red card or whatever, there is a big thing, a big history behind. So I think I found myself sometimes in those situations.”

Every time Ronaldo or Messi is caught in something unusual, it becomes breaking news. And that’s solely because of their status. Because Alonso became a household name in the F1 community, even the smallest incidents that painted him in a bad light stacked up to make him the “bad guy.” But while he defended the FIA for its past crimes against him, he revealed how his popularity has negatively affected him.

“It’s My Fault”: Fernando Alonso Shoulders Blame for Teammate’s Unforgivable Error

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It wasn’t until two years after his F1 debut in 2001 that Fernando Alonso became known for the driver he is. The 2003 Hungarian GP was the first time he ever stood on the top step of the podium, and after reaching that career milestone, his life changed professionally and personally. And 20 years on from that achievement, he revealed how his first win has had positive and negative repercussions on his life.

During the drivers’ press conference at the Hungarian GP, Alonso 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.” While the win helped him get on the F1 map, his life outside of F1 hasn’t been the same since.

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He continued, “It changed, especially off track, many things in my life. In Spain as well. No more privacy in my life since 20 years.” And now that he’s established himself as one of the best drivers in F1, privacy has become a far-fetched dream for him.

Do you feel Fernando Alonso’s career has been riddled with people out to get him?

WATCH THIS STORY | How Fernando Alonso’s 2008 Singapore GP Win Became One of F1’s Worst Controversies – Crashgate