Fernando Alonso almost had an unusual participation outside of Formula 1, but ended up being vetoed by the Vatican. The Spaniard was nominated to drive the popemobile during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Madrid in 2011, but the idea was rejected.
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The revelation was made by Yago de la Cierva, coordinator of papal trips to Spain at the time. According to him, the event organizers proposed that the two-time Formula 1 champion drive the official vehicle during the pontiff’s visit to the Spanish capital.
“In 2011, we specifically asked if Fernando Alonso could drive the popemobile. They were outraged and told us: ‘Absolutely not!’,” recalled de la Cierva.
The proposal made sense from the organizers’ point of view, as Alonso was experiencing a moment of great popularity in Spain. That year, the Spanish driver was racing for Ferrari and, even with a car considered less than ideal, achieved consistent results throughout the season.
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During 2011, Alonso achieved ten podiums, won the British GP, and finished the championship in fourth position, scoring 257 points. The period of the papal visit also coincided with the category’s mid-year break, one week before the championship resumed at Spa-Francorchamps.
Even with these arguments, the Vatican maintained its position against the idea. De la Cierva tried to defend the proposal, highlighting the driver’s experience behind the wheel: “I defended the idea and said: ‘I think he knows how to drive, I mean, I don’t think the Pope would be in danger’,” he stated. However, the response was direct: “No, it has to be a national police officer,” and so it was decided.
With this, the suggestion never got off the ground, and a national police officer ended up driving the popemobile during the visit. The episode, revealed several years later, shows how Alonso almost starred in an unusual moment off the track, still during his Formula 1 career.
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