TIL: Alonso Tested for McLaren with No Sponsors

Fernando Alonso had just come off the back of two world championships in 2005 and 2006. Then, he surprised many when he signed for McLaren in 2007. The Spaniard was partnered by the up and coming rookie Lewis Hamilton. Little did the team know what was in store for them.

But what were the circumstances of Alonso’s arrival? As it turned out, on December 15, 2006 Alonso debuted with McLaren in a private test in Jerez. This seemed rather strange as the Spaniard was contracted to Renault until January 1, 2007. So, McLaren and Alonso found a way around that technicality.

The two parties reached an agreement with Renault and the latter imposed certain conditions. The test had to be conducted in secret, so Fernando Alonso and McLaren could not wear any sponsor anywhere on the car or on Alonso’s overalls and helmet.

Now, nearly 12 years later, Fernando Alonso will be stepping away from the sport. Instead, he will be racing in IndyCAR, in a bid to win the coveted ‘Triple Crown’. He has already triumphed at Monaco and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. The only thing left on the list is the Indy 500.

He looked set to claim it last year but his engine gave out while he was leading the race. Now, the F1 veteran will be fired up to try and claim that prize again.

In his F1 career, post 2007, Alonso returned to Renault in 2008 and stayed with them for another 2 years. In 2010, he donned the red overalls when he signed for Ferrari. He would race for the Maranello outfit for five years until 2014.

He gave McLaren another chance at redemption when he joined them in 2015 and he would stick with the British marquee until his retirement this year. Hopefully for Alonso’s sake, he finally achieves that dream of winning the Triple Crown.

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