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Regarded by many as the greatest all-round driver in the sport, two-time champion Fernando Alonso found his spiritual home at Ferrari in 2010. His strength of character has made him an instant hit at the Italian team but ultimately he missed out on the title in 2010 due to a strategic error at the final race. With Sebastian Vettel running away with the championship the following year, Ferrari turned its attentions to 2012 early and Alonso will hope it allows him to provide Red Bull with a sterner test.

Following a successful period in karts, in which he became world champion, he stepped up to the Euro Open Championship for Nissan in 1999 and won the title. He moved to F3000 the following year, but F1 had already recognised his talents and he landed a testing role with Minardi. He got his first F1 seat with the team in 2001 and put in some impressive performances. In order to further his career he opted to return to a testing role this time with Renault the following year.

Renault rewarded him with a race seat in 2003 and he recorded his first win at the Hungarian Grand Prix just a few months later. In 2005 he became the youngest ever world champion, beating Kimi Raikkonen to the title. Six wins from the first nine races followed in 2006 and even though Michael Schumacher kept the pressure on, he could not deny Alonso his second title.

The Spaniard joined McLaren in 2007 and while the opening races of the season went smoothly, it soon became clear that tensions were building between Alonso and team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Unhappy that he had to battle with his own team-mate for success, he finished third in the championship and left McLaren under a cloud to rejoin Renault.

With the undisputed No.1 status he craved in 2008, his second two-year stint with Renault was relatively disappointing with just two wins, one of which included the Crashgate-tainted Singapore Grand Prix. The 2009 package was uncompetitive - he scored just one podium all year - and after months of rumour, he agreed a multi-year deal to join Ferrari.

Following the near-miss in 2010, Alonso hoped to go one better in 2011 but Vettel and Red Bull found the consistency to go with the speed and eased to the title. There was only one win for Alonso - at Silverstone - but the fact that he secured nine other podium finishes while his team-mate never finished higher than fifth shows his ability to outperform the car and epitomises his attitude.

Strengths and Weaknesses
He has astonishing consistency and will battle hard regardless of his position and chances of a strong finish. He has made it clear that he demands No.1 status in a team and struggles to come to terms with competitive team-mates.

Career High
After qualifying 16th in Brazil in 2005, he raced to third position to claim his first championship and end Michael Schumacher's period of dominance in the sport.

Career Low
With tension between himself, McLaren and team-mate Lewis Hamilton reaching a peak in qualifying for the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix, he deliberately blocked the pit box to ensure that Hamilton could not start his final qualifying lap ahead of the chequered flag. He claimed pole position as a result but was subsequently penalised.

Quotes
"I might not be fastest, or the most technical but I am consistent."

"Instead of complaining, moaning and bitching, which is what Alonso is doing at the moment, all he needs to do is concentrate on driving quicker." Niki Lauda.

"I don't see many weaknesses in Alonso when he is behind the wheel - he has the full deck of cards. Right now [he] is the most complete F1 driver out there in my view. Now he has a chance to push on again and there is no doubt he has more world championships in him." Martin Brundle.

Trivia
Alonso is claustrophobic and is terrified of being stuck in a lift.