By the time he won the second of his back-to-back titles with Renault in 2006, Fernando Alonso could already boast a two-decade long racing career that had begun when he was just three years-old. The lucky recipient of a kart, made originally by his father for a less than enthusiastic elder sister, Alonso took to racing like the proverbial duck to water. After four years spent ‘playing’ with the homemade kart, local, 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 One driver Adrian Campos’s team. With typical aplomb the Spaniard won the title, showing he was more than capable of making the switch to racing with gears.

A problematic move to F3000 in 2000 was but a brief hiccup, and a Formula One test with Minardi that same year secured him his first Formula One race drive with the team. It would prove to be a baptism of fire. Minardi, struggling for money and resources, was far from an ideal debut seat, but after outshining team mates Alex Yoong and Tarso Marques in qualifying, and with a tenth-placed finish in Germany, Alonso was signed by Renault as a test driver for 2002.

The move proved a masterstroke for team and driver alike. With his raw speed and fierce commitment much in evidence, the test seat became a race drive for 2003. Alonso surpassed his promise with ease and, at the age of 22, made Formula One history, becoming the youngest-ever pole sitter in Malaysia and then the youngest Grand Prix winner with a maiden victory in Hungary. That, however, was just the beginning.

Renault were off the pace in 2004, but the following year Alonso pushed the French team’s ever-improving machine to its limits, drawing on his natural consistency and flair for improvising in even the most challenging circumstances. Claiming the drivers’ crown with two races left to run, Alonso - the youngest title holder in Formula One history - instantly became Michael Schumacher’s heir apparent. A second successive title - deservedly won at Schumacher’s expense during the German’s final season - served to bear out Alonso’s position as the vanguard of a new generation.

For 2007 he moved to McLaren, giving him the chance to become the first man since Juan Manuel Fangio to score successive championships with different teams. But while the car was quick, so was his team mate Lewis Hamilton, and an intense rivalry saw the pair finish level on points at season’s end, beaten to the title by a single point by outsider Kimi Raikkonen. It was a disappointing end to a frustrating year for Alonso, whose relationship with the team grew increasingly strained, particularly after his evidence helped condemn the team in the Ferrari ‘spy scandal’ affair. It was hence no surprise when news came that he would be looking elsewhere for a 2008 drive.

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