2023-11-05 23:38:00
Fernando Alonso is never wrong. From Friday, when Aston Martin seemed to take advantage of a chaotic situation to do well in qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix, the Spaniard had promised a return to the forefront. Saturday did not bring much grist to his mill. But whatever. When “Nando” says something, it’s often because he has an idea in mind. Or that he is sure of himself.
It is perhaps one of the privileges of age, or quite simply of a talent a little apart in the middle of a grid which nevertheless does not lack it. From his podium at Interlagos, we will undoubtedly remember for a long time this arrival at the photo finish, and these 53 small thousandths which separated him from Sergio Pérez. Perhaps we will remember his superb duel with “Checo” for some time.
But we should not forget, either, everything that came before. His incisive attack on Lewis Hamilton, his pace similar to that of Norris, his management of tire wear and then… these more than 30 laps of resistance in front of the Mexican. Halfway through the race, “Checo” was already only a few tenths away from entering the DRS zone. And at that moment, it was difficult to imagine the two-time world champion resisting the power of the Red Bull.
Alonso may not have the best equipment in his hands but he has everything he needs under the helmet. “He’s a great driver,” observed Christian Horner, a handsome player, speaking to Sky Sports following the race. “He was very intelligent in his use of the ERS.” This is indeed where the forty-year-old made all the difference: by managing his energy recovery system to perfection, both in energy recovery and in deployment in the first meters of each of the two straight lines.
At least that was necessary to avoid being eaten alive by the breathtaking superiority of Red Bull’s DRS. “I also made sure not to always use the same trajectory,” he revealed at a press conference. “It forced him to change lines too. I was trying to put a little turbulence in his front wing.”
A frank hug with Pérez
His use of a very outside trajectory at the exit of turn 13, to limit skating, also caused some serious headaches in Pérez’s helmet. “It was a little easier until the last five laps, analyzed Alonso. I thought I had full control of him. Then he got seriously closer […] and overtook me two laps from the end. Then I thought it was over.”
But the Spaniard has not lost his analytical ability. “In the last lap, he braked a little late in the first corner, he revealed. And then, I said to myself: ‘at turn 4, I’m going.’” The words, the actions. And this breathtaking finish between two drivers who like each other. “There aren’t many drivers with whom you can do this type of maneuver,” Checo said followingwards. “It was fun.”
A few moments later, while Alonso recounted his exploits to Viaplay, the Mexican even went to greet his tormentor of the day. And in a long and frank hug, the 42-year-old driver whispered a small request into the ear of Verstappen’s teammate: “don’t ever put me under such stress once more, I’m not 20 anymore!” One might almost doubt it.
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