Top 10 F1 drivers with the most race starts

#2 - Fernando Alonso (312)

Fernando Alonso was another legend to get his start in F1 at Minardi in 2001

To say that a double world champion should've achieved more may sound like exaggerating, but it really isn't. Fernando Alonso is not only one of the fastest drivers in the history of Formula 1, but motor racing in general and has a real chance of becoming just the second man to achieve the triple crown.

Alonso began his career at Minardi in 2001, becoming the third youngest driver to ever compete in the sport at just 19. The Italian team typically hung around at the back of the grid for the campaign, but the Spaniard's talents were obvious and he was promoted to Renault as a test driver for 2002, before becoming a full-time driver the next year. 2003 brought Alonso's first pole, podium and win, the youngest man to ever achieve these three accolades at the time.

Renault would become title challengers for 2005 and Alonso was their title contender, the Spaniard winning the driver's championship thanks to his excellent consistency. 2006 would bring similar success for Fernando, this time beating Michael Schumacher in a tremendous season-long scrap.

2007 would be the beginning of Alonso's decline in the standings, as he moved to McLaren for 2007 and soured his relationship with the team and lost out on the title to Kimi Raikkonen.

Alonso returned to Renault for 2008, but the team wasn't the force it once was and Fernando jumped ship for Ferrari.

In his first year with Ferrari, 2010, and 2012 would both bring title challenges but both years he'd lose out to Vettel's Red Bull and that would be the last times Alonso would come close to a third championship.

Fernando made a surprise return to McLaren in 2015, but the Woking outfit struggled hugely with their "GP2" Honda engines for three seasons. Alonso showed he still had the talent, producing some epic drives along the way, but his machinery let him down time and time again.

2018 looked as though the papaya cars could find their way onto the podium once more, but the first race in Australia flattered to deceive and McLaren slowly slid down the pecking order and Fernando left the sport, probably for good.