How did Alonso's F1 cars pan out in terms of capability, reliability, speed?

Truth be told, it's going to seem ridiculously strange that starting the next season, there's going to be no Fernando Alonso in Formula 1. The very fact that his Wikipedia page reveals that he's a 'former' Formula 1 driver seems a bit eerie, especially when the man is still fit and raring to compete in other motor-racing forms.

Isn't it?

A true great of the sport and someone with not one but two world championships under his belt, there's really nothing that Alonso couldn't do. Whether it was challenging the best men on the grid, pushing the likes of Raikkonen, Vettel, and Hamilton to the edge and even finding a way to sneak out with the fastest lap in that barely drivable McLaren of 2017, only an Alonso could've pulled out stuff he did in the topmost echelons of F1 racing.

Even as the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix would forever be remembered for the two Ferrari drivers- Vettel and Raikkonen- grabbing a sensational 1-2, it would always be Alonso whose feat would be credit for securing a fighting P6- god alone knows how he did it- an effort in the process of which he went fastest at the Hungaroring, also the scene of his final F1 podium that came in 2014.

Having said all of that, it's not always that Alonso had the best car on him. There were times, in stark polarisation to his Renault and early Ferrari years where his car didn't even seem like a Grand Prix machine. Then there were times where the man found his true expression in racier, edgier machines.

That told, let's visit some Fernando Alonso cars in the realm of Grand Prix racing:

#1 The 2003 Renault, R23

If there was a Formula 1 car that truly seemed to compliment the fiery craft of the man from Asturias, then it was the 2003 Formula 1 season's R23.

Let's take a minute to pause and reminisce the young Fernando Alonso who emerged back in the day, circa 2001.

In a complete polarisation to the experienced veteran who challenged Vettel from his Ferrari, the Alonso in a blue and yellow race suit was a young man who was here to make a name for himself.

He needed a car that could echo his fighting spirit and amplify his abilities. It was only a matter of time before the 2003 season would give fans a clue of what the man was truly capable of.

In only two years into the sport, along with Raikkonen, who debuted in 2003, the Spanish knight emerged as a man who seemed destined to be a frontrunner.

It was then in 2003 where Alonso landed up behind the wheels of the R23, a car that was edgy and quick-footed, quite like the talent commanding it.

Alonso would claim his first ever pole position in that sensational Renault. When he won at the Hungaroring in 2003, he would become the youngest race winner then and was driving the R23.

#2 The R24: not the greatest Renault machine ever

The San Marino F1 Grand Prix where Alonso was in royal form!

The R24 was the Renault Grand Prix speedster that Alonso competed with at the top echelons of motor-racing. The year was 2004 and Fernando had a fair deal of idea about the rigors of being a first-class F1 driver.

Having said that, while a win had been secured, a sensational one at that from pole position at the Hungarian GP in 2003, the young man had expected better things to happen the following year.

But was that going to actually happen in 2004, given the car Alonso was driving?

Having said that, the 2004 Renault R 24 wasn't the best possible weapon at the disposal of a man who'd become a knight one day.

The 2004 season was, in itself, a challenging one for Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard had no fewer than five race retirements driving the R24. To make matters worse, there would be no race wins at all for Alonso that year. The car was, at its best, drivable but not fiercely competitive like the ones Ferrari had on the tracks.

#3 R25: Recording a sensational world championship with Renault

Winning the world championship for any driver is what matters the most. In Fernando Alonso's case, the peak of elevation came in only his third season in the highest annals of the sport.

The 2005 F1 world championship would always be remembered for Renault's R25 emerging as a thorn in the path of Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari. While there were the likes of Button and Raikkonen in there too, they weren't able to dominate proceedings the way El Nino did!

To this day, it can be said with great certainty that Alonso's feat, that of becoming the last world champion of the V10 era- a feat he gained driving the Renault R25- is one that's treasured and valued a great deal.

The feeling of putting his car on top on seven occasions might have been something great for Fernando; something that couldn't have been put into words then. Right, Fernando?

#4 The R 26: that car that earned Fernando his second and last world title

F1 Testing in Jerez Day 3, Alonso goes behind the 2006 Renault

Every driver races with the single ambition to becoming a professional driver. The second dream, as they say, is to be a Formula 1 driver. The third dream is to be a world championship-winning driver.

While Alonso tasted the sweet aura of victory in 2005 for the first time (ever), it was his sensational effort the following year that proved that the previous year's effort wasn't a flash in the pan; and that the Spanish knight was indeed in a class of his own.

In 2006, Fernando Alonso secured another world championship. Implicit in his success the culminated into 7 wins was the legendary R 26, probably a car that he and Flavio Briatore may never forget and maybe, for the times to come.

There's actually little surprise in saying this because the peaks Alonso scaled in that great Renault machine were truly spectacular. They reminded emerging drivers like Raikkonen of the level of competition they were up against as also reminding Michael Schumacher that his reign was now, effectively over.

#5 McLaren MP 4 22: Alonso moves to a promising, if not extremely powerful McLaren

Throughout his career, Alonso drove many cars and raced under multiple racing outfits or marquees.

But the only time ever in his stellar F1 run where he came to represent a legacy in terms of a racing team alongside Lewis Hamilton (in the same racing colors) was that impressive stint in the McLaren of 2007.

A season that belonged to the Iceman Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari, El Nino, now a somewhat experienced driver, a double world champion at that, was able to bag 4 Grands Prix wins, one each at Malaysia, Monaco, Europe, and Italy.

Other than that, Alonso pushed Hamilton and eventual championship-winner Raikkonen well enough to grab 12 overall podiums. Still, it won't be enough for him to earn another world title.

But that sensational season partnering Lewis Hamilton will always highlight the might of Fernando Alonso.

#6 The Dark Knight at Ferrari: driving the Ferrari F10

F1 Italian Grand Prix - where Alonso won in front of the Tifosi

Few drivers have managed to usurp Kimi Raikkonen on the race track and also at a racing outfit. But then, Fernando Alonso has always been the rarest among rare talents.

At the completion of a rather sedate 2009 F1 season for Ferrari, Kimi would find himself on the way out only to make space for the former double world champion to go behind the wheel at the 'Prancing Horse.'

In 2010, Fernando Alonso would drive what is still considered his greatest ever season post his whirlwind successes at Renault that was realized in 2005 and 2006.

Second only to Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, 'El Nino' secured 5 race wins, grabbed 10 podium finishes, collected some nerve-wracking moments and also stopped hearts courtesy a mega first year at the Scuderia.

This, however, wasn't enough to control a flying Vettel at the Red Bull.

Edited by Shiven Sachdeva