The 2023 Formula One season got underway on March 5th, with the annual curtain raiser taking place in Bahrain. The race weekend was dominated by Red Bull and their reigning back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen secured pole position on Saturday before romping to race victory on Sunday. His teammate Sergio Perez finished the race in second place, and another dominant season for Christian Horner’s team could be on the horizon.
But one thing that fans the world over were delighted to see was the return of Fernando Alonso to the front of the pack. The 42-year-old two-time world champion is the oldest driver on the grid this season, but he is beloved by many despite his villainous persona. The Spaniard secured third place and a spot on the podium for Aston Martin, the team he joined in the postseason following an acrimonious departure from Alpine.
Alonso is finally in a competitive car for the first time in over a decade. He will need a stroke of luck akin to something one would find at SlotsLV online casino if he is to compete for the championship this season. But fans can dream of Alonso rolling back the years, rolling them all the way back to 2012…
Seven Different Winners In The First Seven Races
Heading into the 2012 season, Formula One had a dominant champion, just as it has in 2023. He also drove a Red Bull and went by the name of Sebastian Vettel. The German sensation had picked up the last three world championships, and his performances throughout the 2011 campaign were unlike anything we had seen before.
The Heppenheim-born driver picked up 11 victories throughout the course of the season. He finished a whopping 122 points ahead of championship runner-up Jenson Button and his dominance seemingly knew no end. But as the 2012 season got underway, fans were in for a refreshing treat.
The previous year’s runner-up Button secured victory in the opening race of the season in Melbourne, Australia, with Vettel finishing in second. In Malaysia a week later, Fernando Alonso picked up the victory despite being in a car that was seriously inferior to the grid-leading McLarens and Red Bulls. Three weeks later in China, there was another different victor as Nico Rosberg picked up his maiden victory.
The surprises would continue in round four, and this time it was reigning champion Vettel who finally got his season up and running with victory in Bahrain. Round five threw up an almighty shock as Venezuelan upstart Pastor Maldonado picked up victory for Williams, the team’s first win since Juan Pablo Montoya won at Interlagos in 2004.
As the weeks progressed, the title fight continued to feature a number of protagonists. Mark Webber, Vettel’s teammate at Red Bull, won the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix while 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton would win in Monreal for the third time in the last five editions of the Canadian Grand Prix. But two drivers would distance themselves from the pack throughout the middle of the season.
Vettel Vs Alonso
Victory from 11th on the grid on home turf in Valencia for Alonso was met with jubilant scenes in the grandstands. The race coincided with Spain’s run to glory in football’s 2012 European Championship, and with Vettel’s retirement in the same race, the Spanish driver catapulted to the top of the driver’s championship standings. He would win again a month later in Germany further strengthening his position at the top of the standings.
That was Alonso’s final victory of the season, but a series of podiums in the campaign’s latter stages allowed him to remain in contention. The problem for the 2005 and 2006 double world champion was that while he was picking up podiums, Sebastian Vettel was reeling off victory after victory. His Red Bull was far superior to Alonso’s Ferrari, and that began to show in the latter stages of the season.
Four consecutive victories for Vettel in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and India, followed by third place in Abu Dhabi and second place in the United States returned him to the top of the championship ahead of the final showdown in Brazil. But Alonso was still in contention.
The Championship Showdown In Brazil
To secure his third consecutive championship win, Vettel had to finish fourth or higher when he arrived at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo for the final race of the campaign. After a tight battle with Raikkonen during qualifying, the championship leader secured himself second place on starting grid with Alonso down in fifth. What followed was one of the most intense and thrilling races either driver had ever participated in.
Vettel would spin on the first lap, dropping all the way down to last place. Alonso meanwhile battled up to second and into a championship-winning position. But a heroic drive and a number of safety cars saw Vettel battle his way back up to sixth place. With the race coming to its conclusion it was clear that Red Bull’s main man was on course to become a triple world champion and that is exactly what transpired, with Alonso wondering what might have been, finishing just three points behind the eventual championship winner.
