Fernando Alonso falls out with long trusted Formula 1 commentator as Aston Martin block DAZN

For more than 20 years, Alonso’s pre-race appearances on Spanish television had become a Formula 1 ritual dating back to the Telecinco era. But during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, viewers quickly noticed the two-time World Champion was absent from DAZN’s coverage before lights out.

The silence came only days after Lobato publicly discussed the breakdown in his friendship with Alonso, admitting tensions dating back to the 2023 Baku Sprint escalated into heated arguments that never truly healed according to premier bet Africa.

Speaking on Senén Morán’s YouTube channel, Lobato explained an incident involving Alonso and Carlos Sainz during the Sprint Race: “The whole thing started with a move during the Baku Sprint in 2023. He interpreted it one way and the rest of us interpreted it differently. Not just us, but everybody. Nobody saw anything wrong with the move.

"He thought there was, I thought there wasn’t. We argued about it. Then we saw each other again in Barcelona, argued even more, and nothing happened. Fine, he’s stubborn. ‘You’re stubborn,’ and all that, and that was it.”

The relationship between Alonso and Lobato had once been among the closest in the Formula 1 paddock, with the commentator following and supporting Alonso throughout his rise from Minardi rookie to double World Champion.

Lobato admitted the collapse of that friendship still hurts. "But at the same time, I’ve been fortunate in my life not only to have shared Formula 1 with an Asturian driver who became successful, but also for him to have been my friend. We had an extraordinary friendship.

“So apart from him winning, we were friends. I had someone there who I knew was incredibly good, one of the best in history for me as well, and on top of that he was my friend. We had an unbelievable level of trust between us.”

Lobato also shared memories of Alonso’s arrival into Formula 1 with Minardi in 2001, revealing the Spaniard initially feared being overwhelmed at the top level: “The first race gave us a lot to talk about because he was super nervous.

“Formula 1 is the elite, after all. He did a lap of the circuit with Adrián Campos and afterwards he said to him: ‘Adrián, mate, it’s going to be hard for us to become the bosses here.’ He could see he was in a small team. He was this young Asturian kid arriving at the pinnacle of motorsport, and he felt like everyone was going to beat him up out there. He was used to winning.”

Lobato added that Alonso’s father, José Luis, gave the rookie little reassurance before his debut weekend: "And before his first race, he called his father, as he always did, and said: ‘Well, here I am, let’s see how it goes.’"

Lobato recalled the day of Alonso's debut at the 2001 Australian GP: “His father, José Luis, told him: ‘Enjoy the race, have fun, because it might be the last one. There might not be any more after this.’ He said to me: ‘What kind of encouragement is that from my father?’ But fortunately, many more races came after that.”

The latest fallout appears linked to comments Alonso made live on DAZN during the Miami Grand Prix weekend when he criticised the broadcaster’s interpretation of Aston Martin’s vibration issues, claiming “a lot of information is lost from the studio.”

Lobato later responded by describing Alonso as “very visceral and stubborn,” comments which now appear to have pushed relations beyond repair.

Whether Alonso personally blocked DAZN access at Aston Martin or the broadcaster decided to avoid another awkward live exchange remains unclear. But the absence of Alonso from DAZN’s Canadian Grand Prix coverage was impossible to miss.

To complicate matters further, DAZN’s usual paddock reporter Melissa Jiménez, Alonso’s partner, is currently away on maternity leave.

For now, one of Spanish Formula 1’s most iconic media partnerships appears broken, with no sign yet of reconciliation before the next round of the championship.