Factbox on Renault's Fernando Alonso, who became Formula One's youngest champion in Brazil on Sunday:
Nationality: Spanish
Age: 24
Born: July 29, 1981 (Oviedo, Spain).
Lives: Oxford, England.
Grand Prix starts: 67 (not including 2005 U.S. Grand Prix)
Pole positions: 8
Wins: 7
Grand Prix debut: Australia 2001 (Minardi)
First podium: Malaysia 2003
First pole: Malaysia 2003
First win: Hungary 2003
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Career highlights:
Began karting aged three.
1994 - Spanish kart champion.
1995 - Spanish kart champion.
1996 - Spanish and world junior kart champion
1997 - Spanish kart champion.
1998 - European kart championship
1999 - Euro Open by Nissan single-seater series champion (nine poles, six wins).
2000 - Formula 3000, fourth overall with one win, Minardi test driver.
2001 - Contracted to Renault (Benetton) but joined Minardi on one-year loan. No points.
2002 - Returned to Renault as test driver.
2003 - Renault. Sixth, 55 points. First win in Hungary.
2004 - Renault. Fourth, 59 points.
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Alonso upset the British media when he replaced Briton Jenson Button at Renault but team boss Flavio Briatore was right to describe him as a special talent.
An impressive debutant with tail-enders Minardi in 2001, the Spaniard showed his potential in 2003 by becoming the youngest driver to start a race on pole position and then the youngest winner in Formula One history.
The first Spaniard to win a Formula One race, he is the country's first champion.
