Fernando Alonso Diaz (born July 29, 1981) is a Spanish two-time Formula One World Champion, and widely considered among the greatest drivers in the sport’s history. He first tested a Formula One car with Minardi in 1999, before spending a year as the reserve driver.
F1 Career
Alonso competed full time with Minardi in 2001. After signing with Renault for another year of reserve driver duties, Alonso raced for the French team in 2003 and immediately began breaking records such as the then-youngest Formula One pole sitter and race winner, finishing the season sixth overall. Aside from a one-year stint with McLaren-Mercedes in 2007, Alonso raced for Renault until 2009 and won two Drivers’ Championships along the way in 2005 and 2006. The Spanish driver then raced for Ferrari from 2010 to 2014, and returned to McLaren from 2015 until 2018 which also marked his retirement announcement. After two seasons of racing in other disciplines, Alonso returned to Formula One in 2021 with the Renault-rebranded Alpine F1 Team before a switch to Aston Martin in 2023 to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel.
MotoGP
While Alonso is unlikely to break any MotoGP lap records, he is one of very few Formula One drivers to have ever ridden a Grand Prix racing motorcycle. At Honda Racing Thanks Day in 2015 and 2016, the Spanish driver got to sample a Honda RC213V alongside multiple MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez and 31-time MotoGP race winner Dani Pedrosa at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.
Chronotech
The Renault F1 team was sponsored by Chronotech during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. During that time the Italian watch brand issued special edition watches commemorating individual podiums and wins, which means Alonso has several timepieces bearing his name on the case back along with the Grand Prix name, date, and finishing position.
TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer and McLaren were still in the midst of their longstanding partnership when Alonso first drove for the British team. In addition to appearing in watch ads, the partnership also saw the release of the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Calibre S Hybrid Chronograph Fernando Alonso Limited Edition, limited to 3500 and was available with either a bracelet or rubber strap.
Viceroy
Alonso has also previously partnered with Spanish fashion brand Viceroy, which resulted in a sizeable collection of Fernando Alonso edition timepieces.
Richard Mille
The Spanish driver began a partnership with Richard Mille in 2017 after having already been friends with the luxury watch company founder. The Richard Mille RM 67-02 Fernando Alonso was made in honor of the double World Champion, and Alonso has also inspired the creation of the RM 47.
Via Jim Bamber with Omologato
Also worth noting is that Alonso has made an unofficial appearance in the form of a cartoon character on the Omologato Jim Bamber #1 Alonso Webber, limited to 25 pieces. The British watch brand had worked with Bamber’s family to produce a small run of Jim Bamber timepieces.
References
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/14310833/fernando-alonso-rides-moto-gp-bike-honda-racing-thanks-day
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2016/12/alonso-takes-to-two-wheels-at-honda-celebration.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3j35W6_7X0
https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/75593781-renault-f1-team-formula-one-fernando-alonso-formula-1-european-grand-prix-winner-chronograph-watch
https://www.catawiki.com/it/l/32347263-renault-formula-uno-fernando-alonso-2005-firmato-chronotech-renault-f1-watch
https://tagheuerenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/11/first-impressions-aquaracer-calibre-s.html
https://www.joyeriacanovas.com/blog/relojes-viceroy-fernando-alonso-collection-61/
https://replicarichardmillewatch.therestaurant.jp/posts/50846860/
https://www.mclaren.com/racing/partners/richard-mille/fernando-special-ed-gallery-4254769/
https://donchrono.com/products/richard-mille-rm-67-02-fernando-alonso
https://supercarblondie.com/richard-mille-new-samurai-inspired-watch-fernando-alonso/