A museum dedicated entirely to a Formula 1 driver is rare, and Fernando Alonso’s is not the most accessible. From Paris, for example, it takes about 13 hours by road, and almost as much from Lyon. While many French fans have the opportunity to go to F1 circuits near France, few, however, are those who visit the Fernando Alonso museum in the Asturias region, in the northwest of Spain.
During our visit, only half a dozen people occupied the premises. The museum also hosts a circuit dedicated to Fernando Alonso’s driving school and track days reserved for license holders with their own kart.
A long career in motorsports
Fernando Alonso has been a Formula 1 driver since 2001 and made his debut with Minardi, placed by Flavio Briatore. In 2003, he made his debut with Renault F1 and scored some points before shining in 2005 and 2006 thanks to his world champion titles in those years.
Driving for Renault, then McLaren and Ferrari, he took a few years off to compete in endurance and the Dakar before returning to F1.
Opened in 2011, the museum is divided over two floors and contains more than thirty single-seaters, karting cars, endurance cars, or rally cars. In addition to the vehicles, the museum of around 1200m2 also exhibits all the personal items of the Spanish driver, from his Grand Prix helmets, to his race suits, as well as exchanged helmets and won trophies.
On the ground floor, the museum describes Fernando Alonso’s history from his youth with his karts and the first three Formula 1 cars before his first title in 2005.
Upstairs, there are about twenty vehicles, each more extraordinary than the next.
All F1 cars driven by Alonso since 2003 are on display except for the latest 2024 Aston Martin and the two Alpines.
If this collection is impressive in its size, it also allows us to realize the evolution of the sizes of single-seaters and their different aerodynamics.
