Fernando Alonso brings to the grid a controlled aggression that gives you no warning when it is going to blow! He is also the youngest ever two-time Formula 1 champion! Alonso has been laying low, waiting to strike out for a couple of years, but the Renault fuelled dreams of the third title were a little too far in the horizon. In 2009, after having given his best, Alonso could only manage one podium finish, a third position in Singapore. The last three seasons have been a damp squib, but as he now shifts to Ferrari, things are bound to bounce back. The Tifosi have had little to cheer for in a while, but as the deadly duo Massa and Alonso team up, they had reasons to look forward to the 2010 season. After the brilliant performance at the inaugural race, the lull during the first half of the season created doubts in the minds of all about Ferrari. But that was soon to die out after a rejuvenated Fernando and Ferrari dominated the latter end of the season and almost claimed the driver's championship.

Coming from humble beginnings, Alonso found encouragement early on in life thanks to his father who wanted to encourage his daughter to take up karting, a hobby he enjoyed. But Alonso's sister never fancied the sport and the home-made kart eventually found its way to three-year old Fernando who immediately took a liking to it.

Due to lack of finances, Alonso may well have never become the champion he is. But his consistent performances and more importantly, wins, assured sponsorships in the early days. Alonso won his first junior title at the age of 12 and retained it for the next three years. Even more success followed and Alonso drove his first race car in 1997 at the age of just 16! Adrian Campos, former Minardi driver gave Alonso his first test and within three days of testing, Alonso had matched the times of Campos's previous test driver. This earned him a place in the Formula 3000 Championship, the stepping stone to Formula 1.

Alonso was signed up by Minardi for the 2001 season and when he debuted at the Australian Grand Prix, he was the third-youngest ever to race in the Formula 1 Championship. Although Alonso was riddled with poor car, he made his mark by out qualifying his team-mate Tarso Marques in the first race itself. Soon enough, he out qualified the Benettons as well, twice. Although 2001 was not the best season for Alonso, he had caught the eye of Flavio Briatore who was planning to get him to Benetton.

In 2002, Alonso was the test driver for Renault (that had just taken over Benetton) and did as many as 1,642 laps of testing through the year. Briatore could no longer ignore him and he dropped Jensen Button in favour of Alonso for the 2003 season. When Alonso scored the pole position at the Malaysian GP, he added another feather to his young cap by becoming the youngest F1 driver to start from pole position. He finished the season in sixth place with 55 points and four podium finishes. Along the way, he also became the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 race when he won the Hungarian GP.

By 2004, Alonso was firmly entrenched in the Renault team and although there were questions that were being asked of him, he finished the season with 59 points, four podium finishes and a fourth spot on the Championship table. His team-mate Jarno Trulli, in the meantime, had made a switch to Toyota following problems with team boss Briatore. Alonso had moved up the ranks steadily and was now the senior driver at Renault.

In 2005, rule changes made life difficult for Michael Schumacher and Ferrari and Renault and Fernando Alonso cashed in. Starting the season with a third-place finish, Alonso never looked back. He won the next race in Malaysia establishing a lead over the others that he would not relinquish till the end. Victories in the next two races at Bahrain and San Marino only helped in extending the lead. There were some minor setbacks along the way, though, when he had to retire in Canada and did not race in the US Grand Prix but normal service soon resumed and he was on the podium for all the remaining races barring the Hungarian GP where he finished 11th.

With Schumacher and Ferrari being made defunct by rule changes, Kimi Raikkonen was Alonso's main challenger. And although they both won the same number of races (seven each), Alonso's dominance in the early part of the season saw him win. Experts argue that Raikkonen was the better of the two drivers, but most believe that reliability issues are what cost Raikkonen the title. Alonso was not bothered by any of this as he won his and Renault's first titles.

Winning the title is one thing and winning it again is quite another. But Alonso was determined not to give up the title. Michael Schumacher and Ferrari had by now caught up and were threatening to be real contenders again. A strong start to the season again that saw Alonso win six of the first nine races and finish second in the other three meant that he was well on his way to retaining his title. But a late surge from Schumacher in the second half of the season coupled with some poor performances and a couple of retirements threw open the championship race again.

In Italy in 2006, Fernando Alonso was penalized for blocking Felipe Massa of Ferrari. The incident became an issue that saw Renault invite reporters to their motorhome and share footage of the incident. , "I don't consider Formula One like a sport any more", Alonso was quoted as saying on this occasion as he justified his actions and argued that he was unfairly penalized. But this was not the only incident that would mar his year.

In the French GP, Alonso and Michael Schumacher were involved in a battle in qualifying. As allegations flew thick and fast, Schumacher hinted at foul play. It was widely considered that Alonso slowed down on purpose to let Schumacher pass under red flags. Schumi didn't deny this theory although he insisted he wasn't the one to come up with it!

Alonso realizes the importance of winning the championships while Michael Schumacher was still around. It was fantastic to fight with Michael, a privilege for me. I said in 2005 that it was important to become Champion when Michael was still there, for the value and the recognition that people outside the sport would give to the championship. But people said we did not fight directly in 2005; this year, it was me versus Michael all year. The history books will say that the last two Championships he raced in were won by Alonso, and that makes me very proud. It was a pleasure to compete against him.

For the 2007 season, Alonso raced for McLaren for a reported US$ 39 million per year! Paired with the enigmatic and prodigal Lewis Hamilton, it was a troublesome season for the Spaniard and despite being the defending champion; he was overshadowed by the Briton. A natural result was his move out of McLaren back to Renault where results started to show late in the season.

After a string of poor performances at the start of the year, Alonso notched up two wins in a row in Singapore and Japan raising hopes of an upset. But a poor race in China put paid to 2008 chances. Nonetheless, it became clear that Alonso was not moving from Renault and that 2009 would present a new fight from the team with him at the helm. A fifth-place finish in the driver championship wasn't the best indication of his driving, but it was a fair representation of the car's capabilities.

The 2009 season brought a lot of promises to the table, and promises they remained. The Brawn GP washout in the first seven races was a wake-up call for all the complacent teams to buckle up for the new challenge. Alonso tottered around the track in a Renault that seemed a couple of years old, wheezing to catch a breath. Alonso still gave it all the effort required, finishing all but three of the races on the calendar. The whole effort brought back just one podium position in the Singapore GP, a race that he had won the previous season.

The tifosi heartily welcomed Alonso to Ferrari acknowledging his potential at claiming the title. After his brilliant performance at the Inaugural race, he remained lacklustre till mid season when he emerged reborn with an unfathomable power dominating the sport till almost the end. His dominance almost handed him the driver's title until Sebastian Vettel slyly stole it from under him.

With Alonso proving once again that he has what it takes to be a champion, the other drivers and teams have a reason to watch their rear view mirrors.