Fernando Alonso and girlfriend delete their photos from social media

A month ago, Spanish gossip magazine Diez Minutos announced that Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso and TV journalist Lara Álvarez were due to be married before the end of the year.

Neither one confirmed the rumors, although people close to the couple stated that their relationship was “serious.”

But now, after dating for a year and a half, the relationship is apparently over.

Some sources now say that distance has been the cause of the rift

On Monday, Álvarez was seen entering a gym in Majadahonda, a residential community northwest of Madrid, in the company of a female friend. She was not wearing the ring that Alonso had given her, and refused to give any statements to the press.

A few hours later, Alonso posted the following enigmatic message: “I could even understand the desire to create news... but it is still surprising that easy, public things are not being checked first,” followed by a winking emoticon.

In the meantime, and lacking any official statements by either one, all photographs of the happy couple posted on social media in the last few months have been deleted.

Lara Álvarez’s Instagram account, which has 220,000 followers, now shows pictures of herself and her family, but none with Alonso. The latter’s Instagram account, which has 375,000 followers, features racing-related news and pictures of his own travels.

“I could even understand the desire to create news... but it is still surprising that easy, public things are not being checked first

Fernando Alonso

Alonso’s Twitter account, however, still contains mentions of the 29-year-old TV host.

When Álvarez first traveled to Honduras for a prolonged stay involving the filming of a reality show, she said the distance would not be a problem for the relationship.

“When two people love each other and are happy, distance does not matter,” she said in March of last year. “We have to be apart, but I have been offered a primetime show that’s going to be seen by millions of people […] How could I turn it down?”

Some sources now say that distance has, in fact, been the cause of the rift.

The last pictures posted by the couple are from early February and were taken in Spain, after a long period in Dubai, where Alonso currently lives.

Last year, the pilot used a break in his own racing schedule to visit Álvarez in Honduras. This year, it looks like there will be no such trip.

English version by Susana Urra.