Fernando Alonso’s Valiant Roars Through Monaco: When F1 Royalty Drives Their Own Creation
Formula 1 veteran Fernando Alonso was spotted threading his bespoke Aston Martin Valiant through Monaco’s iconic streets last week.
Not just another celebrity in another supercar. This is what happens when a two-time world champion helps design the very machine he’s piloting.
The Beast Alonso Built
The Valiant isn’t merely track-focused. It’s track-obsessed.
Alonso personally commissioned this monster as an extreme evolution of the Valour, pushing Aston Martin’s engineers to create something closer to his race cars.
The result? A front-engine titan packing a 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V12 producing a venomous 745 horsepower.
Most modern hypercars have abandoned the manual transmission. The Valiant embraces it with a 6-speed stick shift that requires actual skill to operate. No paddle-shifting here.
Exclusivity That Makes Ferraris Look Common
Only 38 examples will ever exist. Every single one was sold before the first car even left the factory.
Alonso’s Valiant wears a steely grey finish with racing green accents – understated by billionaire hypercar standards, but unmistakably purposeful.
The car debuted at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed with Alonso himself behind the wheel, demonstrating that this isn’t a garage queen but a machine meant to be driven.
Alonso’s Growing Aston Collection
The Valiant joins another British beast in Alonso’s garage: the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar.
The Valkyrie represents a different approach to speed:
- Hybrid 6.5-liter V12 producing a staggering 1,155 PS
- 0-60 mph in under 2.5 seconds
- Personalized with Aston Martin Racing Green paint
- Custom-engraved pedals featuring Alonso’s racing number “14”
Though the Valkyrie reportedly suffered an embarrassing breakdown shortly after delivery in Monaco, it hasn’t dampened Alonso’s enthusiasm for the brand that both employs and supplies him.
When Drivers Design Cars
Aston Martin officially describes the Valiant as “the most extreme front-engine Aston Martin ever built.”
For once, the marketing department might be understating things.
When racing drivers with Alonso’s mechanical sensitivity and feedback ability collaborate on road cars, the results tend to prioritize feel and response over comfort and convenience.
The Valiant represents something increasingly rare: a hypercar built for drivers, not collectors. A machine designed to be driven, not displayed.
Even rarer? Seeing the man who helped create it actually using it as intended – on the open road.
