Original subtitles

I wanted to show you.

I've no idea if you remember this

or if you even know it exists.

Watch it first, then tell me your thoughts.

I think you just press here. That's it.

Is there an age limit for this sport?

- No. - Must I retire aged 30, 40 or 50?

There's no age limit, but

when you're 35 or 36,

usually.

Formula One drivers retire.

Their reflexes aren't what they were,

the physical training

is very demanding.

From 20 or 22 years old, when you start,

to 35 years old,

those 14 years

are lived so intensely that when I reach 35,

I'll probably feel

as if I'm 60 years old because life is so fast

in Formula One.

What?

EPISODE 2 WELCOME HOME

FERNANDO VISITS THE RENAULT FACTORY

TO START WORKING ON THE 2021 CAR

It's a very special day, my first day back at work

at the factory.

Since

2008, more or less,

I haven't been back. So it's been 12 years.

It's like the first day at school,

I'm a little nervous.

I know this road very well.

I lived here in Oxford for 5 years.

All my Formula One dreams began here.

Speed is an important part of my life

but at the same time, it means nothing

because I know that it's a passion.

I remember when they announced Fernando,

I called him and said, "Listen",

"this is your life and your job.

"If you live in Oxford and you come to the factory,

"the mechanics will appreciate it, they'll work harder.

"They work 12-15 hours per day."

"If you are present, everyone's motivation"

"will be huge."

It was important, from time to time,

to go to Enstone, to the factory,

to be seen

by the mechanics but also the workers

who didn't go to the tracks.

So we went on a tour of the factory,

we ate with them.

We must be competitive,

we must win the races.

But it's also important to work

and be happy with your workmates

because life is also made up of human relations.

Here are the mechanics.

They say the car will be great, we better believe it.

They're watching films on the computer.

They don't work much, but they're nice guys.

It's true that sometimes

we organised poker games inside the Formula One paddock.

Me, Fernando, Flavio, the physiotherapist,

we played cards

even one hour and a half before the race.

That's unthinkable now.

I can remember

leaving him at the grid

at an F1 Grand Prix, a crucial race for him,

and I often had to wake him up

from a nap so he could race.

I remember very well

at the beginning, I was asked to find a way

to create a good atmosphere.

Here are the team's two geniuses,

the physiotherapists.

Fabri.

Hi! Nice to meet you.

- And the famous Edoardo Bendinelli. - Hi to all Spaniards.

It was marvellous,

it was what we hoped for,

but it was also unexpected that it should happen

in such a lovely way.

We became friends

and we spent time together.

We went on holiday to Kenya and other places together.

Usually, when we went to the Grand Prix,

I was always in the same hotel

as Fisichella and Fernando.

We ate breakfast together,

spent the day together, had dinner together.

It's important to have a bond with people

because when the drivers start in F1, they are very young,

they haven't had a proper youth.

Because they've always had a car to think about.

So you have to find a way to prepare them

for life after Formula One, which is different.

When we played card games before a Formula One Grand Prix

with Briatore, it was Fernando and I

against Briatore and the physio,

and we wanted to win at all costs.

We always won

and Briatore would rant at the physio

who always messed up. It was really funny.

Fernando had a lot of luck,

he won because he was always lucky.

But with Fisichella

I don't remember, I don't think we won much.

We managed to create

this friendly environment,

great relationships and a healthy competition

off the track.

ALAN PERMANE ALPINE F1 SPORTING DIRECTOR

I was fairly confident

that the car would be competitive

but not to that extent.

I didn't think it was a car capable of winning

two drivers' championships

and two constructors' championships.

All world champions have had the best car at some point.

Some of them have had a leading car for years.

In Fernando's case,

he won two world titles, in 2005 and 2006, with a great car,

without one, you can't win a F1,

but the Renault is far from the best car.

The difference

always came from Fernando. You only had to see

where he finished compared to the second car.

That's how

Fernando showed

that even with a car

almost on a level with the others,

he made the difference.

What you don't want to see

is a race in which the pole and positions

2, 3, 4, are always the same.

You want variety, which Alonso gave from the start.

You always have to choose.

In Formula One, you must decide whether to focus

on the brakes,

on the tyres,

the aerodynamics or the starts.

We had worked so hard

on the electronics to try to improve the starts.

We had done thousands and all manner of starts

and for the starts

the Renault car was the best.

A great start for Alonso

and for Fisichella, both the Renaults.

Each time he overtook, we cheered as if it were a goal.

We had some fantastic times together

and some less fantastic times.

But the journey

was an important one for me,

and I think it was important for him to be with me.

We were a bit like the little brother

or the older son.

ENSTONE, ENGLAND

When I arrived, there were fewer people than usual,

the factory was working

at 50% capacity.

Many of the chairs in the offices were empty.

MARCIN BUDKOWSKI ALPINE F1 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

We're using these months

to put the pressure on each person I meet,

each member of the team.

We're putting it in their heads

that we're going to try to win.

Whether we'll win or not, time will tell.

Sometimes I ask an engineer,

"When can we start to work with next year's car?"

They say, "January 1st."

Then I go to another department,

to the new head

of this department,

and although I know the answer, I ask the same question

and he replies, "In early January."

During these times,

you have to ask 100% from your teams.

These times are for preparing,

nobody must let up,

we want everyone

to be completely focused and giving it their best.

Are you all from design?

I'm from aerodynamics.

Well done for your work.

It went well, right?

Are you happy with the improvements?

See you around. Thanks, guys.

See ya!

MONTMELO CIRCUIT BARCELONA

AFTER 1.5 YEARS NOT DRIVING A F1, FERNANDO DOES HIS FIRST TEST

They call this first day a filming day.

According to the rules, the FIA authorises us to do 100km,

that's very few laps, we can only do 18 laps

in the whole day.

This first contact is like the first day at school,

you see your classmates,

your new teachers.

Everyone is quite respectful and shy.

During my first years at Formula One, I'd turn up on a day like this

and I'd meet the engineers and mechanics

who were mostly older than me.

Some of these mechanics must be 22 or 23 years old.

Fifteen years ago, they were teens or kids

and they probably watched on TV.

Renault's world championships and successes.

Now that they're working for Renault as mechanics,

and the driver they saw on TV has joined the team,

I imagine it will touch them

as it does me.

A filming day is a day of recording.

The teams use the opportunity

to take photos and shoot videos

for the sponsors.

There are cameras inside and outside the car.

For the drivers it's quite boring

because you do very few laps

and lots of filming and off-track activities.

We can see the boom in the car.

The boom mic.

MODEL: Renault R.S.20.

ENGINE: RENAULT E-TECH 20 1.6L. V6 TURBO. 24V. 15,000RPM

POWER: 950HP WEIGHT: 746KG

Everything happens as if in fast forward.

Like when you switch on the TV

and press fast forward

and everything rushes by.

That's what a F1 car feels like

when you haven't been in one for months.

I'm sure I'll have forgotten how a F1 car feels

and I can't wait to experience it again.

I'm happy to be with Renault.

When I decided to return to Formula One,

coming back to Renault was an important factor.

Working with this team

is different from any other that I've worked with.

I don't know why, it's a feeling you get in the factory,

here in the garage, too.

Everything feels more natural.

They have technology and professionalism,

it's well structured, like any Formula One team,

but at the same time, everything is very natural.

As you know, in Bahrain next week,

there'll be a test. It can't be with this year's car.

He'll use the 2018 single-seater.

The training session will be similar to that of a GP.

For two days, he'll use the 2018 single-seater

to get used to the speed of a Formula One.

Fernando intends to make a serious comeback

and he's committed to preparing for it.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

It's as if we've landed on Mars.

FERNANDO MUST REMAIN ISOLATED IN HIS HOTEL ROOM FOR 48 HOURS

The restrictive measures are incredible.

They brought us here, disinfected everything at reception,

and I've just got to my room.

It's one o'clock in the morning,

and I'll be here for the next 48 hours.

In 48 hours' time, we'll do another test

and if that one is negative,

we'll be allowed to go out.

Freedom, freedom.

I'm free.

Free as the wind That carries my cry and my sorrow

I walk without stopping.

Man, look at your hair!

- Holy shit. - I have to go to the barbers, but.

They closed a few shops but the barbers must be open,

in case you're interested.

The circuit is empty.

There are two panels in the paddock,

red panels, like barriers.

You leave the car here in the garage.

There are three garages.

The garages on each side

we can't even see because of the separation panels.

FERNANDO DOES HIS FIRST TEST WITH NO LAP LIMIT

STUART BARLOW PERFORMANCE ENGINEER

I like everything in the car to be perfect

regarding pedal position and grip.

These first days are for fine-tuning all that.

When you're in Monaco

at the starting line, with the noise of the crowds

and the engines,

with all the pressure and stress

sitting on your shoulders, 1,000 people working on two cars,

you don't want to feel that something's up with the pedal.

It's the last corner for Fernando,

who I imagine will zig-zag when he passes the finish line

as he waits for his mechanics.

There he goes, it's a victory!

Fernando's 2nd win this season.

Second place for Hamilton.

Extraordinary performance from McLaren today.

CHRIS MEDLAND JOURNALIST

ANDREW BENSON JOURNALIST

There's absolutely no doubt

that the Fernando-Hamilton duo was the greatest of all times.

Greater than Senna and Prost.

Look how Hamilton has driven alongside him

to congratulate him.

They've congratulated each other.

Fernando is now the happiest man on earth.

The team divorced at every level

in Monaco, in 2007.

Fernando was the pole-sitter,

he started, he got away

and he won, conclusively.

But the team had a problem with the brakes.

Hamilton was in second, he was moving in on him

and was right on top of him in the final laps.

Fernando had the race in the bag,

he didn't want to step on it and break the car.

Fernando won the race convincingly

and despite the fact that Hamilton was on top of him in the last laps,

Fernando was totally in control.

But when he got out of the car,

Ron Dennis said to him,

"Be nice to Hamilton,"

"to the dude, the boy,"

"because we had to slow him down."

From then on,

there was a before and an after that sentence.

At that moment, Fernando

lost confidence in the team.

They'd forgotten there was also Ferrari and Räikkönen.

They knew

that the only driver who was as good

or an equal, was Fernando or Hamilton.

It was now a tennis match not a Formula One race.

Ron Dennis

wasn't able to be strict with Fernando.

That's what happened, right?

He joined a team

which had a completely different philosophy.

Almost at once, there was a disagreement

between him and Ron Dennis

and that's how it ended.

It ended because Fernando decided to leave.

When someone wants to leave,

you cannot hold them back.

If your wife wants a divorce

or if you want a divorce, then you divorce.

It was a difficult time for him.

We aren't a dramatic family,

I'm probably the fiercest.

And for me it was terrible.

I suffered

on the inside,

but I felt very angry and powerless,

and a sense of injustice.

And that hurts.

Having to put up with all that, the foul play,

I suffered a lot for him.

Fernando hasn't made pacts with many devils.

He has always been able to decide,

and he's done so thinking about

his happiness.

McLaren came to within a point of winning the world title.

That point was in many places.

MARCIN BUDKOWSKI ALPINE F1 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

It was a shame.

They pressed the wrong button: Self-destruct.

In the end, neither of them won the world title.

Where are you, Fabri?

At home, in my studio.

Good.

So how is it going?

It's incredible.

I can't - Incredible.

- I can't believe it. - It's.

- No pain? - None.

It's amazing.

- You must be tired. - Yes, it's kind of

it's as if I've played a football or tennis match,

something always hurts afterwards, but I'm great.

I'm very surprised.

I'm like a motorbike!

Fabri, you should thank me

for the work I've done in this last stage.

Look at him!

I have to think of some exercises to do in the hotel until Tuesday.

Yes.

Now, when we're with them.

- Sure! - I have

I have an elastic band, I could do some neck work.

I can exercise with the elastic

and I can run at the gym.

- Cool. - OK.

- Right. - Wonderful.

You bastards, you're at home and I'm here, all alone.

The sport I practise

is one of the most team-based sports that exist,

it takes 1,000 people to make each part of the car

but when it comes to the race,

you are all alone.

That's when you have to

dialogue with yourself.

Formula One is a very solitary sport

in every sense of the word.

You learn to spend a lot of time by yourself

and to know yourself well.

You realise what you miss

at certain times of the day, of the year, or in general.

Fernando is at ease with himself.

He has a good internal dialogue and relationship.

This solitude

can often be hard,

you miss many people,

not just your family but your friends too.

Thanks to this solitude and spending so much time alone,

I've got to know myself more than I could have imagined

or wanted.

Few things about myself surprise me.

There are stages in life: At 19, you need certain things,

at 30 or 35, you need other things.

Sometimes when I wake up,

I know I have to change the day's schedule

because today, I've a different strength or mindset

that I didn't have yesterday.

I also know how to train,

when I'll reach my ideal shape.

I've done so much on my own

that I know myself well enough

to know exactly what I need.

There are also the low times.

Everyone has them, especially with the pandemic.

You had so much self-confidence,

you were so comfortable alone,

and all of a sudden, you need your parents,

you need your sister and your people because

you feel defenceless.

Hi.

Wow, I can see you really well.

- You can see me well? - Yes, the other day

with Mum and Dad, the connection was terrible.

But I can see you very well.

I just want to go home for Christmas.

Of course, I do too!

Yeah, but I mean

I promise to go home and stay there.

Me too, I won't go out or do anything else.

Everything is taking a turn for the worse

and being the way we are,

if they open up just before Christmas,

people won't act responsibly.

If the borders open in 3 weeks' time,

you can come to Switzerland from Barcelona.

- Or I'll go to Barcelona. - I didn't think of that.

True, I didn't think of that.

Because if we're both home alone,

- that wouldn't be fun. - True, we could go there.

- I don't know. - But it'd be a shame, too.

For Mum and Dad?

Yes.

- I guess it'll open up. - Us there, and

I think.

Mum said, "What do you want for Christmas?"

I said, "Happiness."

She was a bit.

Then she was obliged to say, "I want world peace."

I must tell her that I just want to win.

It's the Legend!

- How are you, Legend? - How's it going?

- The Legend, how are you? - Good.

Did you sunbathe?

This is the Briatore look.

- More work, less sun. - It's the Briatore look.

- Hey, dopes. - What's up?

- How are you? - Albert, you ok?

How are you?

I'm going to the hotel to get a jacket.

It's really cold.

ALAIN PROST ABANDONED F1 FOR A SEASON

THEN BECAME WORLD CHAMPION AT 38

ALAIN PROST ALPINE F1 NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Awesome!

When you see your teammates at that moment,

you inevitably close your eyes and think,

"How I'd love to be up there now,"

you start daydreaming

and you long for the moment to arrive

because you realise there's still winter, Christmas,

the pre-season tests,

and you wish that 2021

would start right after the Grand Prix.

IN THE NEXT EPISODE

This period has turned us into almost professional travellers:

Where we can go, what the restrictions are,

how far in advance we have to do certain tests.

Fernando Alonso isn't here on holiday.

The fastest.

It's his first contact with this year's Renault.

When I see the anxiety and stress

that my comeback provokes,

as the other drivers know they've got a tough rival,

I feel very thankful.