MARCO GENIS

ALONSO, BOY TO MAN

It’s not easy to find a story to tell about my “adventure” with Fernando Alonso. I’ve known him since he was a 12 year old kid. He raced with me until he was 17 and we’ve always kept in touch ever since, even after he became World Champion. Our friendship goes well beyond the racing world. So it’s not that I don’t have stories to tell; it’s the opposite, I have too many…

For instance, I could tell you about the first time I saw him race. It was a round of the Catalonia regionals. At the time, it was still just Fernando and his dad and that was their first race of a certain level. They were up against experienced rivals on a track they’d never been on. Yet, despite all this, he won, making everyone immediately aware of his potential. He raced with me for the following 5 years after that, even if he lived about 1000 km away. Whenever we had a race event, say in Italy, he’d fly from Oviedo to Barcelona, I’d go pick him up at the airport and from there we’d continue by car. A few minutes and he’d be fast asleep; it was one straight nap until we got to destination every time. Let’s just say he wasn’t a great travel mate…. Especially at the beginning, when we still didn’t know each other well; I’d ask him something and the most I’d get out of him was “yes” or “no”.