Inside Fernando Alonso’s ‘unbelievable’ training regime at 43 including ’80km’ bike rides every day

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Fernando Alonso is the oldest driver on the Formula 1 grid. He’s the only one in his 40s, with 39-year-old Lewis Hamilton the closest.

When Alonso made his Formula 1 debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri wasn’t even born. And his first F1 title in 2005 predated the birth of Kimi Antonelli, who’s set to drive for Mercedes in 2025.

The Spaniard hasn’t won a race since he took victory at his home Grand Prix in 2013. If he manages to end that drought before the end of his career, he’ll smash the record for the longest gap between wins – currently held by Ricardo Patrese (six years, six months, 28 days).

What’s more, no driver has ever waited more than six seasons between titles (Niki Lauda between 1977 and 1984). Alonso is approaching 20 years since his last championship, but he’s still holding out hope of a third.

With the 2024 title clearly out of reach, he’d be at a minimum the second oldest title-winner in F1 history behind Juan Manuel Fangio (46 years, 41 days). It will all hinge on Aston Martin’s competitiveness when F1 enters a new set of regulations in 2026.

The Silverstone outfit will be racing exclusively with Honda engines, and they’ve also made some potentially game-changing behind-the-scenes hires. Ex-Mercedes engine mastermind Andy Cowell has joined, as has Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile.

Flavio Briatore stunned by Fernando Alonso’s fitness

Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Alonso’s longtime manager Flavio Briatore explained how he keeps himself in elite condition at this stage of his career. It involves 80km bike rides, daily gym visits and a ‘careful’ diet.

Briatore believes Alonso may be in even better shape than he was during his Renault days. He won both his titles with the French manufacturer in 2005 and 2006, and returned there for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

This is his second spell in Formula 1 after his initial retirement in 2018. He made a comeback with Alpine three years later, but abandoned that project after two years and put his faith in Aston Martin.

“Fernando Alonso is still motivated like a young driver,” Briatore said. “He’s super fit. Maybe more fit than he was driving for me. He’s still in Monaco. I know he’s on the bicycle every day. He’s doing 60, 70, 80 kilometres every day.

“He goes to the gym every day. Every time we go to dinner, he’s very, very careful. He’s never cheating. It’s unbelievable.”

Lewis Hamilton jokingly mocks Fernando Alonso amid Aston Martin podium drought

Alonso is enduring a tricky 2024 season. It started with signs of promise as he finished in the top six in Saudi Arabia and Japan, and qualified third in China.

But having begun the year at a similar level to Mercedes, Aston have now regressed into the thick of the midfield. It’s now far from a given that they’ll be able to score points every weekend.

Mercedes, meanwhile, have surged towards the front and won three of the last four races. In doing so, they’ve set a benchmark for the Silverstone outfit.

Lewis Hamilton mocked Alonso on the latest episode of ‘Grill The Grid’, suggesting a photo of him standing on the podium looked fake. His former teammate hasn’t finished in the top three since the Sao Paulo GP at the end of last year.