From defensive masterclasses to title-worthy charges – Our writers pick their favourite Alonso moments as he marks his 400th GP appearance

He is already the most experienced driver in the sport’s history, but Fernando Alonso is about to add to this achievement by hitting a staggering 400th Grand Prix appearance in Formula 1, another statistic in what has been a storied career featuring 32 wins, 22 pole positions, two world championships and countless memorable moments so far. Ahead of the milestone, we asked some of our writers to share their favourite Alonso memories from his extensive time in the sport…

Lawrence Barretto (F1 Correspondent & Presenter): Fernando Alonso’s defensive masterclass in the 2005 San Marino Grand Prix is in my mind right up there as one of the double world champion’s greatest drives. The Spaniard absorbed relentless pressure from Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari, which was two seconds per lap quicker, for 13 laps to clinch a sensational victory.

Yes, he was helped by Imola’s track layout that made overtaking difficult, but he was also shrewd in the way he managed the traffic. He would back off in sections of the track where Schumacher wasn’t a threat, which meant he didn’t catch backmarkers that could baulk him and put him at risk of a pass from the chasing German. It was a brilliant, clever, well-calculated drive that showcased just how talented Alonso is.

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Chris Medland (Special Contributor): There are so many moments to pick from when it comes to Fernando, but the one that stands out to me is when arguably the greatest season I have seen a driver produce just fell short of resulting in a championship. In Brazil in 2012, Alonso was somehow still in with an outside chance of the championship in a Ferrari that over the balance of the year was not as strong as the Red Bull.

He had mastered the art of maximising his results, very nearly at every single race, and did the same in the finale. But with Sebastian Vettel surviving a chaotic race to secure the title, Alonso climbed out of the car and was filmed fixing a wide-eyed stare into the middle distance.

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He has since claimed he was looking at Felipe Massa and not reacting to the race result, but it was a moment that so many fans connected with, because it fit perfectly with someone who had just seen their dream of a third world championship slip away after such a brilliant season. F1 doesn't always provide drivers with what they deserve, but there's no doubting in my mind that Fernando deserves to have more than two titles to his name.

Alex Jacques (F1 TV Commentator): There are so many wonderful Fernando Alonso moments from his storied career. The Spaniard coming alive and making key passes whenever there was a hint of victory in 2012 was incredible. His standard of driving in that season is some of the very best we've ever seen, that car should have been nowhere near the title.

His defensive ability and sheer quality of race craft cannot be overstated. After he somehow claimed third place in Brazil last year it made me think of the decade of Alonso at the front we've been robbed of.

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The race which best sums this up for me was the wet/dry classic at the Nurburgring in 2007.

After surviving a flooded first turn early in the race which caused Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg not to score, Alonso bided his time at the front before relentlessly hunting Felipe Massa for the win, applying metronomic pace before finally attacking and overtaking at a completely novel corner, banging wheels on the way through.

It was classic Fernando; he exuberantly celebrated the victory, showing the parc ferme camera the damage before having an argument with the man he'd beaten in the cooldown room.

It sums up the genius and complexity of an ultra competitor who even in victory had a point to prove.

James Hinchcliffe (IndyCar Race Winner and Analyst): Judging a racing driver’s abilities is harder than any other type of athlete using quantitative data. There are so many elements beyond the driver’s control that it makes direct assessment quite challenging. How many wins or titles one has often doesn’t tell the full story.

I’ve always thought the truest measure of a driver is how their fellow drivers rate them. If you were to poll not just the F1 paddock, but professional motorsports globally, Alonso’s name would come up on many ‘top’ lists, mine included. His car control, race craft, relentless work ethic, versatility across multiple disciplines and at times savage desire to win make him someone many admire and respect.

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From the early days at Minardi, to the giant-killing efforts of his 2005 and 2006 titles, to nearly bringing a championship back to Ferrari, I have enjoyed watching his mastery of motorsport in F1 and beyond. And no success stands out to me as much as his 2005 triumph at Imola in a Herculean battle with Michael Schumacher.

As he approaches this milestone 400th Grand Prix, one thinks not only of his successes, but also of his near misses and ill-timed arrival at teams, and hopes that the new and improved Newey-penned Aston Martin can deliver him the long awaited – and much deserved – third world title.