Fernando Alonso made sure that the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix will not go down in history as a boring procession. The Spanish racer fought a long battle with Sergio Pérez for third place. The Mexican briefly got ahead, but was unable to maintain his position. The old fox Fernando proved that even in the current complicated and technically advanced Formula 1, a pilot can make a big difference.
Pérez already had to jump from the rear wing of the Aston Martin. However, Alonso drove masterfully. On the exit from the third and twelfth turns, he was perfect and very precise every time. However, the Mexican was not discouraged and his moment came in the penultimate round. His attack into the first corner was successful, but Alonso was able to stay close. He had one more lap to go and one more chance that he was able to take to get back to third place and take all the glory.
“It was a nice and clean fight, very aggressive but clean. I think Checo has a very good history. Although he fights hard every time, he is able to finish the race and keep his car and his opponent’s car on the track.” he told Sky after the race Fernando Alonso. “I knew he was coming and that he was a threat. After all, it was perhaps more difficult than I thought. With five laps to go I thought I had everything under control so I pushed it but Checo was still in my rear view mirrors. Apparently, he was also saving his tires.’
How did the last two rounds look from the point of view of the two-time world champion? “I thought I had lost all hope in the sixth turn of the penultimate lap. I went to the outside and took a different track, but a lot of lumps and dirt stuck to the tires. The tires were vibrating and I thought it was all over.” he mentions Alonso.
“However, I had one more chance in either the first or fourth turn with the help of DRS. I wanted to brake very aggressively and very late. Checo may have sensed this and also braked very late into the first corner, in which the apex missed by about a meter, which allowed me to attack into the fourth corner. To be honest, I didn’t expect it. When he passed me, I thought it was all over.” admitted the satisfied Aston Martin pilot.
The team ditched the latest upgrades and brought an older spec single-seater to Brazil. AMR23 finally came to life, which was also underlined by Lanca Stroll’s result. Aye Alonso admits that Brazil brought a very important moment to the team. “It means a lot to us. Sure, the podium is great, but even without that we know we were competitive again. We understood a few things that we faced the last two weekends. It was a nice exercise where the whole team could experience and see that commitment. They were all pulling at one end of the rope. It was beautiful to watch and it gives me confidence for the next season as well.” bequeathed Alonso.
Aston Martin’s great form was also confirmed by Stroll
The best part of it all for this team is that both pilots have confirmed the improvement. Lance Stroll he lost only about six seconds to his teammate at the finish line. Thus, both halves of the garage can be satisfied, not only with the point gain, but especially with the overall pace of the AMR23 single-seater. “It was a very good day. The car was great, faster than Ferrari and faster than Mercedes. Too bad about those starts. In both cases, I couldn’t really get off the line, the wheels were spinning and both Mercedes and Red Bull ate me alive.” said the Canadian after the race to Sky television.
“However, everything went very well after that. I was able to overtake Russell, Hamilton and get away from Sainz, so overall it was a very positive day.” he said Strollwho was visibly in a much better mood than in previous weeks.
“I definitely think we’ve learned a lot in the last couple of weeks, so I’m very happy with the result. We had a much better pace than in the last few months, so it’s great.” added the Canadian racer with satisfaction.
2023-11-05 22:14:44
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