In 2011, Alonso was not allowed to transport the Pope.
Journalists from Racingnews365 recalled an interesting story about how in 2011, Vatican officials did not allow Fernando Alonso to drive the car that Pope Benedict XVI used to travel through the streets of Madrid. The idea belonged to the trip coordinator, Yago de la Sierva, who was then representing Ferrari. Alonso was at the peak of his popularity in Spain, and the Pope arrived in Madrid for World Youth Day – all factors seemed to align, but they did not want to break protocol – a national police officer took the wheel instead. Yago de la Sierva: "In 2011, we asked if Fernando Alonso could drive the papamobile. They were outraged and replied, 'Absolutely not!' I defended the idea, saying that Fernando is the best driver and that nothing would threaten the Pope, but they insisted that it had to be a national police officer – and that's how it turned out."
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In 2011, Alonso was not allowed to transport the Pope.
In 2011, Vatican officials did not allow Fernando Alonso to drive the car that Pope Benedict XVI rode through the streets of Madrid.