Organizer of papal visit to Madrid reveals he tried to recruit the two-time Formula 1 champion as Benedict XVI's official driver; Security vetoed plan
Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso is known for his versatility behind the wheel, having worked for teams such as Renault, McLaren and Ferrari and in categories such as IndyCar. However, an unusual invitation almost led him to drive a much less fast vehicle: the popemobile. The episode occurred in 2011, when the Spanish driver was close to becoming Pope Benedict XVI’s official driver during World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid.
The revelation was made by Yago de la Cierva, executive director of WYD 2011, in a recent interview. According to the organizer, the idea came from Alonso’s enormous popularity in Spain and the logistics of the visit, which coincided with the category’s summer break, between the Hungarian and Belgian GPs. At the time, Alonso defended Ferrari, a brand historically linked to the Vatican in charitable and prestigious actions.
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Despite the enthusiasm of the local organization, the plan was promptly blocked by the Holy See security corps and the Spanish police. The argument was technical: the driver of the popemobile must be an agent trained specifically for protection and evasion maneuvers at very low speed, functions that radically diverge from elite piloting. “They said the driver needed to be a police officer. I argued that he knew how to drive, that nothing would happen, but there was no way,” De la Cierva recalled.
Although the proposal did not advance, the fact illustrates the height of Alonso’s cultural impact in Spain. The driver, who was looking for his third world title at the time, ended up following the Formula 1 schedule without the mystical experience on his resume. Currently at Aston Martin, the veteran remains one of the most influential names on the grid, proving that, although he did not drive the pontiff, his image remains capable of crossing borders beyond the sport.
