An astonishing double entry in the points restores McLaren-Honda’s momentum
Almost unexpectedly, the Woking team took home twelve points in its American bag. Ten points for Fernando Alonso's bravery, two for Jenson Button's fine comeback.
“Yiiihhaaahhhh!”: the joy of a fifth place for Alonso!
Promising on Friday in Free Practice (Alonso and Button in the Top 10 of FP2), both veterans had a good Sunday, gaining positions right from the start, but most importantly avoiding collisions.
From the third lap, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button were both in the Top 10.
As in Malaysia, the former Ferrari driver made the most of the Virtual Safety Car intervention, following the immobilization of Verstappen’s Red Bull. From then on, he was able to capitalize on his seventh place at the time. Moreover, his end of the race caught the spotlight, with two overtakes in the last five laps, first on Massa then on Sainz, crowning a race full of audacity!
« My day was good and interesting, I enjoyed it, especially in the final part of the race. Carlos was on a different strategy, with different tires than mine and Felipe’s, which allowed me to close the gap. »
The Iberian returned to those last heated moments in Austin:
« To overtake the Williams, you had to aim for tight and slow corners. It was close, but the fans must have enjoyed it. »
We will still remember that the maneuver was carried out within acceptable limits, with Alonso pushing Massa to the outside of the track, resulting in a puncture for the Williams driver! Put under investigation by the stewards, his result was confirmed afterward.
On the track, Alonso finally took on the other Spaniard on the grid, with yet another daring move.
Our tires were in better condition than the Toro Rosso’s, and we gained an advantage over them. The last laps were very intense, and we had the speed to overtake. It was actually quite easy because the Toro Rosso is slow on the straights, so I just needed to open the DRS.
But the 2005-2006 world champion did not hold back on praise for the fine performance of his compatriot, who finished sixth, three seconds behind him.
« Carlos drove very, very well, consistently, without errors, so we had a great battle together. »
Good sport, the young talent from the Red Bull program spent part of his Sunday evening with his childhood idol, once again proving the camaraderie and respect shared between the two drivers.
Dopo una grande battaglia in pista a #Austin nello #USGP Carlos #Sainz e Fernando #Alonso hanno cenato assieme. Davvero splendido. pic.twitter.com/TCMd6drpHr
— F1poleposition.com (@F1polepositionc) 24 octobre /f1/actualite/21463-course-etats-unis-enfin-le-come-back-pour-hamilton-.html
His 5th place is therefore his best result of the season, matching the result he achieved on the streets of Monaco at the end of May. He now enters the top 10 in the drivers’ standings, three points ahead of one of his competitors of the day: Felipe Massa. Alonso clearly enjoyed himself in Austin, as demonstrated by his shout of joy right after the two overtakes.
« Our result is a great source of motivation. We gained a nice number of positions, but also because some drivers had to retire. Our pace was not great throughout the weekend, so we need to understand the reasons why »
In any case, his valiant driving has not gone unnoticed, dear readers: with nearly 43%, Alonso is your driver of the day for this United States Grand Prix!
Jenson Button, back from the devil’s lair!
The 2009 world champion was not left out in Austin either. What a start from the depths of his 19th place! Eight places gained by the first pass over the finish line.
Taking advantage of the misfortunes of Verstappen and Räikkönen, Button could have even pulled off a big move by pitting during the famous Virtual Safety Car. He missed the pit window by just one lap. However, his flawless driving allowed him to maintain his position in the final stages of the race, earning him two points.
I’m really happy to score points, especially after my frustrating day yesterday (Saturday). The start was a bit crazy, there was a lot of action! Starting from 19th place makes your race a little bit tougher. I had a good first few laps, I made the most of it. I then fought for the Top 10, and when I messed up my second pit stop, I lost a place to Checo (Pérez).
After that, the second part of the race wasn’t exciting for me, I was managing my tires trying to preserve them until the end of the race. I tried to catch up at the end but anyway, it’s great to score some good points on both sides of the garage! Fernando did a fantastic job finishing P5. He was very fast and the virtual Safety Car helped him a lot.
« For the rest of my season, it is important to work on my pace on Saturday, trying not to make bad decisions. Fortunately, the next race in Mexico will be good for us – I am already excited to be there and to get a good result. »
With this seventh point-scoring finish in /f1/actualite/21463-course-etats-unis-enfin-le-come-back-pour-hamilton-.html, Jenson Button remains nonetheless in fifteenth place in the World Drivers’ Championship. However, the end of the season could give him hope to climb a bit higher in the rankings.
