24h Le Mans
All it took was a chance meeting at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain in 1999 to seal their friendship. Since then, Spanish photographer José Rubio has not left Fernando Alonso’s side, and he was there to capture his friend’s first stint at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As Alonso’s official photographer for almost 20 years, Rubio is a member of the Spanish driver’s inner circle, camera always in hand.
José Rubio: “When I met him, he’d come to test the Minardi. He had just won the Formula Nissan Championship, and his boss Adrian Campos invited me to what was to be Fernando’s first laps in an F1. As a promising young driver with everything going for him except means, he needed support to be able to pursue his career in F3000. I helped him out with press kits, photos and the like. We never mentioned a contract or money, and that was nearly 20 years ago. All the titles, the popularity, the money…nothing has changed him. He’s exactly the same.”
Set up in a corner of the garage, Rubio hasn’t missed a beat of Alonso’s preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and is documenting everything in photos.
“Fernando has always been interested in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but it wasn’t really a goal. The goal was Formula 1, a discipline in which has won many times and reached star status. So now he can decide for himself, follow his passion. I remember 2014 when he came to give the start, he looked at me and said: ‘I will do this race one day.’ To him, it was simply a given. It wasn’t 'if’ I get the chance, it was ‘when’ I get the chance. You have to understand one important thing about Fernando: he is diehard! While many of his fellow F1 drivers buy boats and jets like Lewis Hamilton, all Fernando wants is a wheel in his hands. On weekends that he doesn’t have a Grand Prix or a WEC race, he’s doing karting. This race is a dream for him because he’s on the track so much.”
When Sébasiten Buemi exited the #8 Toyota to hand it over to Alonso for his very first stint at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the significance was not lost on Rubio and he made sure to record the milestone.
“He’s happier than a kid in a candy story. At the Drivers’ Parade yesterday, he played with the Spanish flag, talked with the driver of the 1927 Citroën he was riding in. He has fun here. He’s fully integrated into the team, it’s an entirely different atmosphere than in the F1 paddocks and he likes it. Sometimes it’s a bit much when he’s overcrowded, but he doesn’t let that ruin his fun. In fact, I think he enjoys it here more than in an F1 paddock. The feeling here is closer to who he is fundamentally.”
