F1 champion Fernando Alonso welcomes first child as driver achieves ‘biggest dream’

Fernando Alonso is currently absent from the Japanese Grand Prix, with the F1 ace remaining with partner Melissa Jimenez after they welcomed their first child together

Fernando Alonso may be a double world champion in F1, but back in 2023, he admitted to the New York Times that his “biggest dream” was to become a father.

And the star has now achieved his dream at the age of 44 as he and partner Melissa Jimenez have welcomed their first child. Although neither Fernando nor Melissa hasmothe commented on the arrival, BBC Sport has confirmed that the pair are now parents.

Fernando will be missing the early stages of this weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, including Thursday’s media day, as he stays behind with Melissa following the arrival. The driver is not scheduled to compete in Friday’s first practice session, with reserve driver Jak Crawford replacing him.

HELLO!’s sister publication, HOLA!, exclusively revealed back in December that the couple were expecting, with it being confirmed that the baby would be born in March. A source told the publication: “They are very happy and the baby will be born in March.”

This is the first child that Fernando has welcomed, but his girlfriend is already a mother of three. Before meeting the F1 champion, Melissa was married to Spanish footballer Marc Bartra, and the pair are parents to Gala, ten, Abril, seven, and Max, six.

The couple have kept most of their personal life out of the spotlight, but they first got together in 2023. There had long been speculation that the driver and journalist might be secretly seeing each other, with many noting their chemistry during interviews.

Fernando has only shared one image of his girlfriend since they started dating, with the snap being posted just days after HOLA! confirmed that the pair were due to be parents. The photo saw the pair reflected in the window of a luxury car, with the duo looking very cosy.

Recent grid developments

Fernando’s new arrival isn’t the only recent happy news in the F1 world, as just before the season kicked off earlier this month, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc married Alexandra Saint Mleux in a private ceremony.

In the days after the service, the happy couple have shared several insights into their civil wedding, which only featured their families, and adorable pet dog, Leo.

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synIn footage shot from the wedding, the couple could be seen giggling as Charles struggled to put the ring on his bride, before sharing a passionate kiss. In a separate post, the F1 star posted: “A day we’ll forever remember. Part one is done and part 2 will be next year with all of our close ones.”

Alexandra also shared some stunning snaps of their wedding day, which saw the happy couple on a balcony, joined by Leo as he peeked through gaps in the stone pillars.

Delay “for family reasons”

“For family reasons, Fernando will arrive a little later this weekend and will therefore not participate in the media day for the Japanese Grand Prix”, stated the announcement published on the social media platform X. The F1 team’s account confirmed that the driver was doing well, however: “Everything is fine and he will be at the racetrack in time for Friday.”

“BBC Sport” claims to have found out the reason for the later arrival, even though the team did not want to release any further information. Spanish sports journalist Melissa Jiménez (38), who has reportedly been in a relationship with Alonso since 2023, has accordingly given birth to the couple’s first child together. For him it would be his first child, for her the fourth.

Neither Alonso nor Jiménez has personally commented on the matter so far. Several Spanish media outlets, including the daily newspaper “El País”, had reported last December, citing the magazine “¡Hola!”, that the two were allegedly expecting offspring together. According to the reports at the time, the couple’s baby was due to be born in March 2026.