“How 33? Because You’re Infinite, Fernando”: An Open Letter to Fernando Alonso.

Once again, many of us Alonso fans find ourselves getting excited.
We believe in the impossible all over again.
And maybe being an Alonsista means precisely that: never stopping believing. Believing that the best is yet to come. Believing that magic exists.

And yet, most of us also know deep down that it won’t happen. Miracles don’t exist in Formula 1, as that ill-fated yet legendary year of 2012 so clearly showed us.

But Fernando, you awaken something in those of us who follow you that can perhaps be summed up with one word: faith. That “faith” — which happens to form the first syllable of your name — led us to believe Ferrari would give you a car worthy of the Schumacher years; that McLaren-Honda would recreate the golden age of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost; that with Renault, later Alpine, the blue wave would once again become unstoppable. And now, that same faith pushes us to believe that Aston Martin — once Force India — will give you an “illegal rocket ship” capable of delivering the third title you so richly deserve, the one your fans have been waiting for all these years.

But the rational part of us keeps saying, again and again, that you won’t do it. That this new project will collapse like our past hopes. That you can’t go against the logic and cold truth of the machines. That the third championship is already an impossible dream, and that victory number 33 is a mirage.

Wait a second… 33?
How is it that we see you smiling at your new car and a voice inside us whispers that you’ll squeeze out a full second on the Red Bulls? How is it that, as you approach 42, we still see you as that fresh-faced kid in his twenties? How is it that every time you start from the back of the grid, we imagine impossible chain reactions to see you up there again? And how is it that the person writing these lines — who started following you as a child — is now 33 (33!) and gets just as excited, if not more, than ever?

We believe again, just as we always will, wherever you go — because you’re already part of us. Because we fall with you, and almost enjoy your victories more than you do. Because being Alonsistas is part of who we are. Because despite the doomsayers and all the tiresome comments we’ve endured for years, we don’t bury our heads in the sand — we hold them high, proud to stand by you. Because thanks to you, we discovered a wonderful sport (motorsport), an incredible discipline (Formula 1), and legendary races many of us had never seen before (Indy 500, Daytona, Sebring, etc.). Because you’ve taught us to respect and even admire rivals we once nearly hated, back when we were still rookies in this world. And because you’re a true gentleman behind the wheel — one of the last of a rare breed.

Maybe, Fernando, 33 won’t come in 2023, and we’ll only see you lift that third title in our dreams. But my friends, we dared to dream again! (And we always will.) Perhaps even you don’t fully understand it, Fernando — but the heart has its reasons that reason cannot understand.

As Stefano Domenicali would say: Avanti, Fer! Avanti! We’ll always be right behind you.

Luis Díaz Urbistondo — Founder of Montdebó