Alonso reflects on his battle with Vettel at Silverstone
Author of a notable comeback, Fernando Alonso fought hard against Sebastian Vettel for 5th place during the British Grand Prix of F1. He reflected on this battle for Marca.
Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel engaged in a fierce battle in the final part of the British Grand Prix in Formula 1, during which verbal invectives were exchanged via radios.
In the columns of Marca, the double Spanish world champion was, of course, questioned about this intense fight for the 5th position, notably referring to the German’s complaints when the latter claimed that the Ferrari driver was crossing the white line: « You always have to use the track limits. It was already a miracle to be there: we had to save fuel and battery. I was forced to go slowly in the curves. On top of that, Vettel was behind me; it was a matter of time before he overtook me. In the end, both Red Bulls finished ahead of us. They were faster, » he stated.
The former Renault driver admitted he had raced at the limit to keep his position: « Two laps before, we were on the verge of giving up. My driving was at the edge of legality, I was doing everything to hold him back. In the end, it brought some entertainment to our weekend. We were close to the Mercedes and Williams. Only Hamilton and Bottas managed to break away from the pack. I think we need to improve with the resources we have to get more power ».
In the columns of the Iberian daily, he gave his version of the incident which earned him a 5-second penalty (improper positioning on the starting grid): « After the formation lap, I was looking for number 14 for my starting position, and I lost it, I tried to go back but the reverse gear didn’t engage. I reversed but I couldn’t get back in. I saw the lights come on and I couldn’t do anything anymore. » On this subject, he regrets what he considers to be an inconsistency by the stewards, referring to a similar situation for Felipe Massa during the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix: « They didn’t penalize Massa at Spa and me, they did. Always the same inconsistency when it comes to sanctioning… »
In the world championship, Alonso is currently 4th with 87 points, 11 points behind Daniel Ricciardo, who is currently 3rd, and 17 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
