From the Pitch to the Pitwall: Who is Melissa Jimenez?

From Pitch-side to the Pitwall: Who is Melissa Jimenez?

Formula One has always been intricately linked with other sports - each and every race day, the camera pans to countless athletic stars, ranging from basketball aces to golfing stars.

However, many would say that football is the one sport with the most overlap into F1, and this is not simply down to the personalities seen watching on TV - some of the sport's best-known individuals can trace many relationships back to football, platonic or romantic.

Lando Norris’ relationship with Portuguese model and influencer Magui Corceiro is one of the highest-profile examples - prior to dating Norris, Corceiro had a relationship with former Chelsea star Joao Felix, and allegedly cheated on him with Tottenham’s Pedro Porro before settling on the F1 drivers champion.

Now, a new football and F1 crossover has been revealed in the wake of Spanish driver Fernando Alonso announcing that he is expecting his first child with girlfriend, TV presenter and F1 presenter Melissa Jimenez.

EXCLUSIVE: Fernando Alonso set for first child with F1 presenter who has kids with Champions League winner https://t.co/8uSvDQOZsI

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 3, 2026

Who is Melissa Jimenez?

Belgian-born Jimenez, 38, is the oldest daughter of MotoGP veteran Antonio Jimenez, so it only made sense that the Belgian-born journalist would launch her career within the world of racing.

Now working for DAZN F1, she started her career working for various Spanish motorsport and football channels, including Marca Moto, Marca Player and Zamoras y Pichichis.

Her image quickly grew, and she was soon the motor specialist for Sky Italia, regularly appearing on the channel Sky Sports 24h to provide racing updates, results, and insight into any and all specifications of the sport.

She then landed the job of MotoGP commentator at Telecinco, one of Spain's biggest TV providers, and held the job for more than two years, conducting interviews and breaking down race specifics for audiences at home. However, after leaving this role in 2016, Jimenez went on a TV hiatus and wasn’t confirmed to be working for any channels up until 2022, when she signed a deal with DAZN.

Melissa Jiménez, the voice of F1 in Spain.

Melissa is a Spanish sports journalist, covering @F1 for @dazn_es since 2022.

After obtaining a degree in Communication Sciences in Barcelona, Melissa started working for different broadcast outlets.

⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Y1AW8IEhwg

— Females in Motorsport (@FemalesinMSport) May 26, 2023

It was during her time at Telecinco that she started to date former Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and current Real Betis centre back Marc Bartra, and, in 2016, the two announced their engagement via social media.

During their time together, they had three children - two daughters in Gala (b. 2015) and April (b. 2018), and a son named Max, born in 2019.

Melissa Jiménez y Marc Bartra, padres por segunda vezhttps://t.co/yb5UDFJrsw pic.twitter.com/X5gv3g67u3

— Jaleos El Español (@Jaleos_EE) April 26, 2018

However, the couple's marriage was not to last, as in 2022, the pair announced that they had been separated for months and were in the process of getting a divorce. Their legal separation was legally confirmed later that year.

In 2023, Jimenez entered into a relationship with Fernando Alonso, and the two have been together ever since - Alonso has a history of being something of a lady killer, so the announcement that he is expecting his first child with Jimenez is an indication that the two-time F1 champion is committed to a long-term future with the presenter.

Interestingly, Alonso also dated fellow Spanish presenter Lara Alvarez from 2014 to 2016, the same woman who denied Jimenez a role at Telecinco in 2012. Elected to lead the channel's motorsport content over her Spanish counterpart, Jimenez was forced to wait for a further year before the Spanish broadcasters brought her on board.

How do you explain that even for 15 years Fernando Alonso remains the same? pic.twitter.com/1xOdyP6Wgq

— Aston Martin F1 updates (@startonpole) February 2, 2026

Now at one of the world's biggest sports broadcasters, DAZN, she works closely alongside her spouse and has interviewed him on multiple occasions - we're guessing they carefully plan out Jimenez's questions the night before, ensuring there is nothing too pointed.

The new F1 season kicks off one month from now, and it will be interesting to see how the news of his first child affects Alonso - an icon of the F1 paddock, it is unlikely that he will allow it to distract him, but he may struggle to bat away questions from his current partner about his time with Alvarez - rivalry never dies!