Fernando, the review of the Fernando Alonso docu-series
Read also: Fernando: all about the press conference with Fernando Alonso
Fernando: a novelty among the sports docu-series
Fernando is the new Amazon docu-series Exclusive that since yesterday, September 25, 2020, is available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries. As you can easily guess, this is a sports docu-series, a genre that has been going very strong lately thanks to their epic imprint and the desire to show all the backstories of the champions described. Netflix has made itself known lately with The Last Dance, the Netflix series about famous basketball player Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, while Amazon was not new to this kind of products mostly focused on footballers of the caliber of Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos.The series on Fernando Alonso, in addition to being an absolute novelty with regard to the sports covered, immediately proved to be a great challenge because it showcases one of the most competitive sportsmen and, let us say, unpleasant that there are . After all, he realizes it himself that during the press conference, but also in the first episode of the series, he hopes that at least the public can start seeing him with different eyes.
A difficult character and the desire to redeem himself
Alonso, in fact, despite his great successes and the great talent for motoring that has allowed him to be considered one of the most complete drivers always close to the coveted Triple Crown of motorsport (among other things, the only driver who could really win it after Graham Hill, as well as the only holder of this recognition), he has always had difficulty in being appreciated as a person. Due to his brusque temper and competitive disposition that led him to never accept defeat, he always had problems with both his fans and everyone around him.At the time of his retirement from Formula 1 in 2018, Alonso justified his choice with the fact that he did not accept the hegemony of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. This is what he also said during the press conference and it was the reason that, as can be seen partially in the docu-series, led to a quarrel with Hamilton (in the past also teammates at McLaren) who added that in the motoring and in any sport, it is not only how you use the steering wheel that counts, but also how you approach others and what perception they have of the person.
Fernando Alonso has always said that the opinion of others is not has he ever worried and reiterated it also in the press conference saying:
“The opinion of the people they have towards me is not something that particularly worries me. I've never been too afraid to show me what I am. There are millions of people who watch documentaries and read books and maybe manage to change their opinion about the protagonist: certainly it is something positive, because no one would want people to talk badly about you. In fact, I would like to ask my detractors what they have against me and what I have done to create this negative image of my person ".
However, the desire to get involved with the realization of this docu-series shows how the pilot tries, even in a small part, to show others his most loving and kind side, as if he wanted to justify all the events that in some way characterized it negatively. In this regard, a second season has also been announced which will show his return to Formula 1 aboard the Renault (or rather the Alpine since it will change its name in conjunction with the start of the new F1 World Championship).
In the Amazon series, therefore, there are moments of private life both with the sister and with the parents, but above all with the partner. It is precisely these intimate and generally hidden moments that bring out his kind, selfless and respectful character. If, in fact, sportingly we have known a competitive and at times oppressive champion, in private the mutual respect and the balancing of roles allows the couple to keep their relationship strong, even in small things such as washing dishes.
An incredible champion very attentive to details
Alonso, however, is above all a sportsman and in five episodes all his most important experiences are condensed, concerning not only motoring, but also cycling and tennis with friends. Obviously, there is a focus on the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018 where he won thanks also to the other two drivers Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, continuing with the Dakar and with the World Endurance Championship season with Toyota, then with the 6 hours of Silverstone and the 6 hours of Spa and obviously with Formula 1 and the Indianapolis 500 where, however, aboard a McLaren Honda he only had two excellent results, but not enough to win the coveted Triple Crown .It is precisely in these cases that some interesting details can be observed. Alonso's helmet, for example, is full of sponsors and everyone is put in the right place to be best placed during each competition. Each steering wheel he uses to drive the different cars is made specifically for his hands. The backpack that he always carries with him has inside only a computer, a driving license and above all two passports, one personal and one useful for obtaining visas in embassies (just think that at only 37 years old, he has already consumed 21 passports) . But, above all, despite what we Italians may think, Alonso apparently does not have good memories with Ferrari since it is shown in very few frames, instead giving prominence to the Renault with which he won the two Formula 1 World Championships. .
In short, Alonso is a very prestigious sportsman and this can also be understood from the archive images on his life and from some glimpses of his way of approaching problems. He is a great math enthusiast, so he spasmodically calculates every moment of his life and uses quiet moments, such as the night, to focus and study future moves. Mathematics and in particular numbers allow him to better study the paddocks and better approach a race or understand, after it, what went wrong. Also for this reason he does not like to be in the spotlight by participating in interviews and conferences and for this reason, very often, he is seen as a shy and unpleasant character.
In the docu-series, however, we understand that the pilot is not become the one who is totally alone, but he needed a great team of friends and relatives to help him grow and improve more and more. In the episodes, therefore, we not only observe Linda Morselli and Lorena Alonso, but also Luis Garcia Abad, the manager, Marc Genè, driver and his best friend and Carlos Sainz, Rally driver three times winner of the Dakar Rally and father of the driver Carlos Sainz jr.
In conclusion…
Fernando is a fairly classic sports series that does not use exaggerated directorial virtuosity or melodramatic moments to idealize the protagonist. Everything is centered on Fernando Alonso's naked and raw character, with his relative strengths and weaknesses and the consequent victories and defeats. This may disappoint those looking for a more cinematic and distant product from a classic documentary, but on the contrary it will surely thrill fans of the champion who will realize how right Lewis Hamilton was.You would like to see Amazon Prime Video in the your television, but you don't have a Smart TV available? Here is the Amazon Fire Tv Stick that will allow you to have all streaming platforms and not just within your app!
