The wolf loses its fur but not its vice. Or rather, he seemed to have lost it, but he proved that if there is an opportunity he can still pull out his claws. If the focus was on the duel for the World Championship between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, increasingly on fire with two races to go, Fernando Alonso today tried to steal at least a pinch of attention from him, making himself the protagonist of a really great Qatar Grand Prix. to frame.
Thanks to the penalties inflicted on Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, the Alpine driver found himself in third place on the grid and in the first corners he took the second position with determination against Pierre Gasly. A placement that seemed destined not to last too long, thanks to the comebacks of the Red Bulls and the Finn from Mercedes.
Instead, the Asturian gave a test worthy of a two-time world champion, managing to complete with a single stop a race in which there were so many rivals who had problems with punctures. And in the end, the reward was prized: a third place that is not only worth his first podium for the Alpine colors, but a comeback after 7 years.
The last time, in fact, he still wore the colors of Ferrari and had finished second at the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix, when he had seen the victory slip away just a few laps from the end, being overtaken by Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull. . Also this time in the final it was a Red Bull to threaten his enterprise, with Sergio Perez arriving at the boarding with fresh tires, but the Mexican’s comeback was also held back by a Virtual Safety Car triggered by Nicholas Latifi, who remained stationary on board track due to a puncture.
“It’s incredible, it’s been 7 years, but we finally made it. We came close on a couple of occasions, but it wasn’t enough. Sochi was the last chance,” said an overflowing Alonso during the brief interview granted before getting on the podium.
His starting point was excellent on the soft tires, but then he had to do a lot of management work, as his strategy had been planned for a stop before the start.
“I thought I could be in the lead after the first lap, overtaking Hamilton thanks to the soft tires, but it wasn’t possible. Then I had a very close battle with Perez and I’m very happy for the team, because Ocon also finished fifth, so it was a very good Sunday for us. “
“We had planned to only make one stop from the start, but we couldn’t know for sure what the levels of wear were, as it was a new race for everyone. But we did everything perfectly, including the pit stop, which was fantastic. The reliability of the car was also superb, so we deserved this result. “
For the future at the moment the only certainty is that he has a contract with Alpine also for next year, but when asked if he is enjoying this second adventure in the Circus, he said: “I’m enjoying it, I’ve waited so long. for this result and I’m happy “.
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