From ‘GP2 engine’ to ‘karma’ – 10 of our favourite Fernando Alonso team radio messages

Beyond being a two-time World Champion and one of F1’s all-time greats, Fernando Alonso has forged a reputation for having produced some of the most quotable team radio messages over the years.

Having always been a canny operator on the track, his words off it are often calculated too – and on the radio, it’s no different, even though he has been critical in the past of Formula 1 openly broadcasting messages for the public. Even still, from the ecstasy of victory to some of his more pointed exchanges, here are some of Alonso’s most iconic messages from his career to date.

10 of our favourite Fernando Alonso F1 team radio messages

“GP2 engine” – Japan, 2015

We couldn’t start anywhere else, could we?

This was probably the nadir of the troubles faced by Alonso’s reunion with McLaren -Honda, and when he was passed at Suzuka by the Toro Rosso of Max Verstappen, he vented by saying the power unit was a “GP2 engine. GP2.” Before letting out a frustrated “ARGH” afterwards.

But in an honourable mention here, Alonso would comment on the team’s power unit at his home race in 2017, adding: “The engine feels good. Much slower than before.”

“We Are the Champions” – China, 2005

Jenson Button famously sang the Queen classic after winning his World Championship in 2009, but Alonso actually did so himself after taking his first title at the Chinese Grand Prix four years earlier.

Sorry to say it, Jenson, but if you were to compare the two versions in talent show style, Fernando probably has the better singing voice.

“Tell Esteban to defend like a lion!” – Qatar, 2021

To Qatar in 2021 as Alonso was chasing his first Formula 1 podium for seven years, and having done a quite remarkable job defending against Lewis Hamilton in Hungary earlier in the season as team-mate Esteban Ocon earned his maiden grand prix victory, Alonso’s request was for him to do the same against a charging Sergio Perez behind on fresh tyres.

That defence did not last too long however, with Perez able to make his way by quickly, though Alonso was able to cling on for a hard-earned P3 finish.

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“Karma!” – Italy, 2017

If you already knew this message existed, this was probably the one you were looking for, wasn’t it?

Fighting with Renault’s Jolyon Palmer at Monza in 2017, the British driver cut a chicane while defending from the then-McLaren man and, while he got a five-second penalty for this, Alonso was still furious, retorting that “five seconds is a joke.”

Later in the race, however, he asked: “Where is Palmer?”

When informed the Renault driver had retired, his response was simply: “Karma!”

“Looking like amateurs” – Canada, 2015

In a particularly difficult afternoon in Canada, he instruction came from his race engineer just a third of the way through the race: “Okay Fernando, Massa is 7.5 seconds back, we must save fuel, we must target zero.”

Alonso gave this short shrift, however, responding: “I don’t want, I don’t want!”

“We’re going to have big problems later if we don’t,” came the reply from the pit wall, before Alonso added: “Already I have big problems now, driving with this and looking like amateurs. So I race and then I concentrate on the fuel.”

Ouch.

Winning through tears at home – Valencia, 2012

In one of his greatest drives, Alonso won the European Grand Prix at Valencia from 11th on the grid and, when he finished the race, the emotion in his voice was evident – barely able to utter more than a half-spoken “woo” repeatedly as he crossed the line, already crying as he took the chequered flag.

No, this isn’t one of Alonso’s most quotable moments, but for any fan it’s one that still brings goosebumps for a remarkable drive that brought a home victory.

“Thank you for all these years” – Brazil, 2006

Another emotional one now as Alonso bid his farewell to Renault after winning his second title, with his first move to McLaren having already been confirmed for the following season.

After taking the chequered flag, he made sure to pay tribute to those who helped him to his success by saying: “Thank you, fantastic job all season. Thank you for all these years, it has been a pleasure for me to work with you. With this success, I wish you the best for the future.”

“All the time, you have to leave a space!” – Bahrain, 2012

Back to some histrionics next, and in the heat of battling Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes in the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix, Alonso found time to pitch a heated discussion about where he felt he was being pushed off track on the exit of Turn 3 and on the run up to Turn 4.

Spoken in the full knowledge that the FIA would be able to hear his words, the then- Ferrari driver exclaimed: “Okay, he pushed me off the track. I think you have to leave a space – all the time you have to leave a space! Okay? Understood?!”

“One of the most beautiful” – Malaysia, 2012

You can argue if you want about the legality of this one, given this radio message wasn’t actually said by Alonso but was rather a message given to him, but the resonance of it was such that it has lasted long in the memory.

Besides, this piece is all for a bit of fun anyway.

After winning the Malaysian Grand Prix from eighth on the grid in true Alonso fashion, our third entry from the 2012 season comes from his race engineer, Andrea Stella – now team principal at McLaren – paying tribute to him in glowing fashion after crossing the line.

In a race affected by rain, red flags and a charging Sergio Perez in a Sauber, Alonso held firm and an emotional Stella took to the radio to say: “This is one of the most beautiful. This is one of the most, most beautiful. We are so proud of you. So proud of you and of the team.”

“I have 1800 points!” – Abu Dhabi, 2018

In his final race before his Formula 1 sabbatical, Alonso was fighting for the minor points, as was the case for a good portion of his time in his second McLaren stint.

Given he knew he was leaving Formula 1 for now, at that point, when the instruction came through to ramp up his engine mode to catch Romain Grosjean because “there’s a point here up for grabs, let’s go get him”, Alonso’s withering response came: “I have 1800 points.”

You can’t say much fairer than that. To his engineer’s credit, though, his reply was pretty quick: “Well, for me, make it 1801!”

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