Alonso angry with Vettel and disappointed despite 10th place in Brazil

After securing a 10th position on the grid during the qualifying session, Fernando Alonso, despite several retirements, settled for a single point, while his teammate battled throughout the race at the back of the pack with his car.

The Spaniard did not manage to take advantage of the rainy conditions to climb higher in the final standings. He hoped for much better and it was a two-time world champion more disappointed than delighted who spoke at the end of the race: « I think we could have hoped for something better today. I started in 10th position and finished 10th. There were retirements in front of me, so we certainly didn’t know how to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves. »

The double world champion reports on the epic racing conditions: « The conditions were extremely difficult today. Sometimes, it was just enough to keep the car on track. There was very little visibility, and the water drainage on the circuit wasn’t very effective. I fell victim to aquaplaning, which made driving challenging to push the limits and close the gaps ahead. In the end, we scored a point. Hopefully, in Abu Dhabi, we can finish the season well. »

#BrazilGP chequered flag. Fernando P10, JB P16. Huge effort from our boys in tricky conditions. Thanks to our fans for sticking with it. pic.twitter.com/B1fX5Fw0tk

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 13 novembre 2016

But what deeply marked the Brazilian race for the McLaren driver was his duel with Sebastian Vettel, where he found himself slightly off track. Nevertheless, the Ferrari driver was not penalized, nor was Max Verstappen when he did the same thing a few laps later to overtake the German in his fantastic comeback.

Thus, a somewhat irritated Fernando Alonso made some scathing remarks following this “incident”: « I don’t think there will be any action against Vettel, since the race stewards didn’t say anything when it happened. There was asphalt outside the track and I used it, but if there had been a wall I would have either hit the wall or him; that’s what I’ll do next time. I’m going to hit him, and he’ll lose more points than I will. »

He added to his statements: « In the rain, we don’t have the same visibility as on dry ground, the mirrors are wet, so I couldn’t see anything behind me. In the end, nothing harmful happened, but one day, someone will have to touch him for him to understand that the track is for all of us. »

This promises to be interesting, if the two men should ever find themselves one behind the other or side by side in Abu Dhabi.

On Jenson Button’s side, it was more against his machine that he had to fight throughout the race. The Briton faced issues with the balance of his car and the rear end.

He did not hide his disappointment and incomprehension at the end of this Grand Prix – where he finished 16th and last – he who is normally known for appreciating difficult conditions like those of last Sunday: « After the race, we need to return to the factory and look into what was wrong with the car. During Friday’s practice, everything seemed to work, I felt good with the car and in the fast corners, we had a good rear end. Yesterday (Saturday), it no longer worked, and today (Sunday) it worsened with the rainy conditions. »

The 2009 world champion reflects on the decisions made during the race, as he is the co-director of the Drivers’ Association with Sebastian Vettel: « Regarding the various starts, these are difficult conditions to judge what is correct to do or not, but no one was injured and that is the most important thing. »

Finally, he spoke about his feelings during the race: « Finishing last is not usual for me in these conditions. So, there’s probably something that’s not working. I don’t think I’ve forgotten how to race in the rain. »

The McLaren drivers leave this epic edition at Interlagos with somewhat gloomy expressions. But it’s time for them to turn their attention to the final race in Abu Dhabi, hoping to finish on a more positive note.