Original subtitles

Fernando Alonso has been knocked down

while cycling near Lugano in Switzerland,

where he lives.

It would appear he has a few fractured bones.

The Asturian from Alpine F1 team was knocked down by a car.

He was immediately rescued and admitted to a local hospital.

Fer sent me a text that said,

"Speak to Lore,."

"I'm fine, don't do anything for now."

He wrote to us while waiting

for the doctor to attend to him in A&E.

Given the severity of the bruising,

he has been urgently transferred to Bern Hospital.

Little by little, I received

messages he sent his family that Lorena forwarded to me.

At 7 pm, he sent a message to his people

telling them that he'd been knocked down by a car.

Being locked down, in Spain...

The first thing me and Lore said was,

"Let's jump on a plane and go there."

You realise, in that moment,

how hard it is to be far away when these things happen.

You never want to find yourself in that situation

because you're totally powerless.

I told him, "Don't worry, it always bleeds a lot,"

"it can be stitched up..."

The operation went well,

I imagine that right now he's eating baby food

and drinking juice through straws.

I'm on my way back from Bern.

I had my first check-up. Everything's fine.

That's all.

I'm off home, to rest.

I feel very blessed because

any other accident I might have had

would surely have affected the start of the World Championship,

I'd have missed a race.

They say I'll be fine

but I can't do now what I could do last week.

They know I need to use my neck, to put pressure on my neck,

to wear a helmet.

I kept saying, "I need to do this and this..."

And they said, "Don't worry, it's normal you feel this now",

"give it 4 days, 6 days, 8 days,"

"you'll be right as rain."

And they were right.

EPISODE 4 RIVALS OLD AND NEW

FORLÌ-CESENA ITALY

FERNANDO VISITS HIS PERSONAL PHYSIOTHERAPIST'S CLINIC

- What plans... - So,

today we'll do some evaluations.

We'll work in particular on your cognitive skills.

There has been a trauma, an injury,

you hurt your face and head.

We'll put the body under stress

while we stimulate your attention

and see what answers we get.

Perhaps, as I'm a bit older,

my job is to coordinate

a bit more

the stages that need extra coordination in each discipline

and to teach Fernando the skills

that concern evaluating

and planning.

I'll get changed.

- You do that. - OK.

Ready!

I met him when I was with Minardi

and Fernando was in Minardi's satellite team,

Formula 3000.

It was a beautiful thing that Fernando wanted to unite

all his childhood friends.

And we joined

the technical crew,

Eduardo and I.

It's his safe place.

His way

of creating an island on which he can live peacefully.

He is amazing when he puts his helmet on.

He becomes another person.

I always say there are two Fernandos.

Coaching an athlete at a certain age

is a little different.

- How did I do? - 8.78.

It's important to focus more on resting.

We know, from a scientific point of view,

that the older you get,

one of the most important things is resting.

Let's do the multicolours.

OK.

You're always green.

Does it work?

At the age of 40, one must work more on quality

and less on quantity.

In terms of cognitive attention,

everything changes.

We'll put the glasses on you.

They make it harder.

Holy shit!

You can't see where anything is.

Coaching an athlete like Fernando is not easy

because Fernando decides everything.

And if

he doesn't like what you're saying,

he doesn't listen.

Blue.

Red.

It's not easy getting Fernando to trust you.

It's not easy.

Making that trust last over time

is even harder.

9 - 7.

What a piece of shit! Piece of shit!

Five euros.

Five euros.

BAHRAIN

BAHRAIN HOSTS THE FINAL PRE-SEASON TESTS

AND THE FIRST GP OF THE YEAR

The car veered on the road, we collided,

I fell on my face

and I had to go back to Bern.

I told my father it was you.

He promised me he'd never cycle again

or he'd use a mountain bike

in a place with no cars.

Because I told him, "I'll lock you in the garage."

That was the first time since the accident.

Forty days without a bicycle.

- Well done. - I was a bit scared at first.

Because of the wind.

- Look. - He's talking...

Socialising.

They're not my size but I'll keep shut so we finish sooner.

They're much too big for me.

I'll keep my mouth shut.

The Formula One is about to begin

with the pre-season tests.

It's the first day of tests

and time to fine-tune the car to compete for victory

because these are the final tests.

Fernando Alonso will be taking part in the tests,

driving a single-seater for the first time in 3 years.

How's your jaw?

Does it hurt?

It's really not going well.

The rear is very light.

You and Carlos both say that.

You look well.

I think we're lacking rear.

RALLY DRIVER

And so are you. It's stressful.

McLaren is doing well.

You carry on this afternoon, don't you?

There's Hamilton with Alonso on his tail.

It's been a long time since we've seen this.

There's Hamilton in his out lap.

Alonso is running his lap with a hard tyre.

The Asturian uses DRS.

And he's going for it!

Fernando Alonso will overtake him.

These may be test runs but what a great sight!

They're so keen. Old and new memories.

As for Fernando Alonso,

we've enjoyed watching him

but we have doubts about the Alpine team.

Fernando Alonso, the Asturian driver,

didn't get off to a good start today.

He ran very far from the lead.

His times and those of his teammate Esteban Ocon were very similar,

which suggests that the car needs improving, it could give more.

We're 0.9 seconds slower than the best?

There are lots of people between 0.6 and 0.9 seconds.

OK, so we're a little better.

ESTEBAN OCON FERNANDO'S TEAMMATE

ALAIN PROST FOUR-TIME F1 WORLD CHAMPION

This one here, or that one over there?

It was going to be this one but someone else turned up.

We could use this tree for a bit of variety.

Go ahead and strech.

Little by little, I can tell that his recovery

is nearly 100 %,

with performances that are better than good

and far better than I'd expected.

Arms up.

The crucial aspects are: Strength, resistance, power.

In Fernando's case, I must say that

he may have lost a little on the physical side

but that's more than compensated by his experience.

Not just technical, but also his ability to control his body.

So reaching the conclusion that Fernando is in better shape now

than when he was young

isn't just a cliché,

I can honestly say that it is the truth.

- I'll go over here? - No.

We do one set, right?

Because there'll only be one.

Both Edo and Fabri

are very important to me. We have a life-long connection.

Run, run!

We met when I was starting out in Formula One,

in 2001.

They've looked after me and taught me

how to take care of my body,

how to train and improve my skills.

But we've also shared

experiences outside sports.

Damn it!

Alberto is like a brother to me,

a life companion,

who has always been there

and who'll be there forever.

30 - 40.

I think it was one metre in.

Italy, knockout!

All the sacrifices I make in my life,

the time and energy I dedicate to Formula One

and motor sports,

they do the same.

- Good morning. - How are you?

I have to take care of things here.

Just so you know, the other day

he did three birdies in Santander.

- It's called luck. - Luck!

It's called too much free time.

How are you? What's up?

How does it look?

- It's tough. - Very.

It looks like

- a Formula Two. - A Formula Two, yes.

When you look closely.

With that face...

I think it'll be tough for all the middle teams...

For all the midfield teams.

But the first two, today...

What about Carlos and the team?

I couldn't do better.

Those guys have racing

in their DNA.

I saw Jean Alesi today, he's here.

- His son stopped racing, didn't he? - I heard he's in Japan.

He was with Ferrari for 5 years.

- Were you there for 5 years too? - Yes.

At last, we've seen Fernando Alonso

wearing that special red,

Ferrari red.

ANDREW BENSON JOURNALIST

Fernando always took the car, even the Ferrari,

to a position

that wasn't the car's natural position.

He got the car there.

Fernando is right behind Webber.

Webber attacks Felipe Massa.

Don't get into trouble. The track is very steep.

Watch out! Fernando is overtaking them all.

Thank you. Let us hear some of that too!

He must have won at least 2 or 3 championships there.

We didn't fail because

Fernando made mistakes

but because the team made mistakes.

He often took risks in the world championships.

That's not a mistake, it's sports.

QUALIFYING DAY

We did badly in all the training sessions.

Then came the lap tests...

There's Fernando, about to start his fast lap.

The Asturian is reaching the finish line.

What a great result for Fernando Alonso

who will take 9th position in the starting grid tomorrow.

Making it to the top 10 of Q3,

everyone was so happy,

myself and the team members.

This 9th place

was the first positive sign

after not having any during the practice sessions.

Alonso has achieved amazing things: 9th place in the Q3

with an Alpine that needs some work,

what an amazing achievement.

Yet again Alonso is better than the car.

Tomorrow he'll start 9th, just behind Carlos Sainz.

You did well, asshole.

You qualified well,

considering you've had a few years off.

I'm rusty!

Ten pounds that we'd make it to Q3.

- A bet? - A bet.

With the chief engineer.

They left the note here for me. Bets must be settled fast.

I'm happy.

I did the first lap

and there was a tower in the A1.

I saw: Alo - 19th,

Mazepin - 20th.

I thought, "19th, OK",

"I braked here and I stopped at the corner."

But I didn't expect to be 19th.

I wasn't doing so well but still...

And when I stopped at the box, I was 9th.

It hadn't been updated.

No, he has to reach across and that takes a few seconds.

So I was really happy.

I thought I was 19th but I was 9th.

I thought, "9th, with that lap, I can easily improve that."

- It's cool. - Sure is.

It's cold!

We have to say hi.

Yes.

He took his mask off.

Yes, with a smile.

It's 16 degrees outside.

I've never been so cold in Bahrain.

I'm gonna take a scalding shower.

RACE DAY

On Sunday morning,

I felt the pleasure

of having butterflies in my tummy again.

The pressure

or pre-race stress

typical of Formula One that I experienced for 20 years

was back again.

I know it all already,

all the routines and procedures

but I still feel excitement and hope.

Good morning.

Twenty-three degrees,

but it's damn windy!

68km/h wind gusts.

Wow!

It's bad for us, but it's worse for the motorbikes racing today.

Qatar.

Imagine being on a motorbike

with such strong winds.

They must be scared.

Some guy named Alaui called me at the hotel.

- Does that ring a bell? - No. What did he want?

I don't know what he wanted.

To wish me good luck.

Maybe it was the hotel manager.

No, it wasn't.

He said, "Is Fernando there?"

I said, "No, he's at the gym."

"What do you want?"

He said, "To wish him good luck. Can I leave a message?"

And I said, "OK, tell me."

He said, "I'll give you my number, ask him to call me."

He said, "Who am I talking to?" I said, "Alberto."

He said, "His assistant."

"Alberto, good luck."

Maybe we should call him. I have his number

and I think perhaps

to make a good impression. For Thursday.

Yes.

That was good, right?

I kept looking at the GPS to see how it compared with the others

because it was incredible.

- How are you? - Good.

Let's have a drink.

Sure!

In theory, everything is alright

but we must think about it.

The risk of using the hard tyre first

then if there's a safety car,

I'll take advantage of that and come back

with the medium one.

Yes.

The 2021 Formula One World Championship is back.

In just a few hours', the Bahrain GP will start at the Sakhir circuit.

There'll be 57 laps

in this 5,412 metre-long circuit,

that's just over 308km.

This circuit calls for caution because of the wind

and the desert sand

that can get into the engines and also affect

the tyre grip.

It's been 2 years, he may be approaching his forties

but he hasn't lost his magic.

Alonso may have a few more wrinkles

but he still has that same predatory glint in his eyes.

In a few minutes' time, when he lowers his visor,

you can be sure that he'll have

that same hunger as when he started out in 2001.

Everyone is waiting for the first corners

but there's nothing more you can do.

All you can do is wait for the lights to go out.

That feeling of having more cars around you,

I'd never experienced that before.

With that cloud of cars around you,

you have to really calculate the distances.

It's at times like this that I'm doing

what I like most.

It's pure competition.

The world comes to a halt.

All that exists is the car,

your rivals,

and the circuit.

In the end, I had to retire.

It's part of the game and I've come to terms with it.

FERNANDO HAS TO RETIRE DUE TO A PIECE OF PAPER IN HIS REAR BRAKE

In the 2nd half of the race, we lost quite a lot of pace

due to a problem with the battery charger

and a problem with the rear brakes.

You might think that when this happens

there are cries and despair.

Maybe that happened at other times in my career

but I'm usually stoic. Retirements are part of the sport.

Water, Fernando?

- A piece of paper. - Really?

A piece of paper in the rear brake duct.

Shit!

How many pieces of paper are there on the track?

And to get into that tiny hole!

For it to get in a hole that size...

A piece of paper got stuck.

In a rear break duct.

- What was the deployment after that? - I don't know.

But it had been there for many laps.

Yes, I had no speed on the straights.

We stopped very early.

But you undercut and the others stopped in the next lap.

But I'm not in that fight.

I qualified by chance

but getting into a fight with them, is a waste of time.

In my opinion.

But hey...

A good start.

Ricciardo didn't leave you a gap on the outside.

The first corner was good but the exit...

No, the exit wasn't good.

Stroll would've passed you if you and Carlos hadn't blocked him.

Yes.

Of course I'd like to be world champion,

of course I do each race

hoping to win

but at the same time, I returned to Formula One

to enjoy doing what I love most.

To race at the highest level of motor sports for so many years,

earning everyone's respect,

then having the chance to return

at a time when you thought

that your racing career would take a different path

or that you'd leave sports completely and have a rest,

that's a victory for me.

But you want to win.

When you don't have the chance to fight for victory,

all you do is prepare for a future battle.

That's what the samurai did.

When they didn't have a battle to win,

they prepared for the next one.

Constantly searching for perfection,

competing with yourself and with others.

Through sports, I have found my place in the world.

I have spent my life competing.

Kart number 4, driven by Fernando Alonso Díaz.

The new champion is Fernando Alonso.

19-year-old Alonso has signed a 5-season contract

with Renault Sport, who lend him to Minardi this season.

Fernando Alonso, winner of the Formula One

Hungarian Grand Prix.

Fernando is now the happiest man on earth.

Impressive!

The true race pace of a champion driver.

And I will carry on. I won't stop.