Grand Prix of Qatar – Alonso: "A long wait"
The Spaniard finishes in 3rd place thanks to a bold strategy, all while showcasing his intact talent and vast experience.
Fernando Alonso back on the Formula 1 podium! It had been over 7 years since this had happened. After qualifying in the top 5 for the second time this season, the double world champion started from 3rd place on the grid following the penalties for Bottas and Verstappen. He finished the race in the same position, despite concerns about his worn tires following the successive punctures that occurred towards the end of the race. He is back on the podium, 7 years after the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix where he finished in 2nd place.
« This podium makes me feel good. I had been waiting for this for so long. I think we had a great race with this one-stop strategy. The car was great all weekend and yesterday in qualifying it helped me to start at the front of the grid, not to mention the penalties (from Bottas and Verstappen). We passed Gasly in the 2nd turn, which helped us a lot because we were in clean air. »
« A long wait, your career sometimes has ups and downs. I had great moments 2 or 3 years ago, when I won Le Mans, the WEC, etc. but coming back to F1 in preparation for 2022 and getting this podium at the end of the season is really good and I think we are more ready (for 2022) than we were ten months ago. »
« I think the one-stop strategy worked pretty well for us, it seems that our car doesn’t wear out the tires much. I think today we still had a little margin to push a little harder but you never know what can happen and Checo (Sergio Pérez) was coming back very quickly on me at the end. »
« We did not think we would leave Qatar with a 25-point lead over AlphaTauri. We thought the gap would still be very close with them in the championship here, in Saudi Arabia, and in Abu Dhabi. This 25-point margin makes things a little easier for us, but we cannot rest on our laurels because anything can happen in the next two Grand Prix. We must stay focused and, hopefully, gather some additional points in the championship. »
When asked if he thinks he can continue his momentum in the last two Grand Prix of the season, the two-time world champion answers:
« I think it will depend on the layouts and their characteristics. According to our simulations, Jeddah could suit our car and Abu Dhabi a little less, even though the layout there has been modified compared to last year. I remain positive: what I saw from the car this weekend makes me quite optimistic for the last two races. »
This 3rd place allows Fernando Alonso to consolidate his 10th position in the drivers’ championship. Furthermore, this result combined with his teammate Esteban Ocon’s 5th place allows Alpine to take a 25-point lead in the constructors’ championship over AlphaTauri and thus retain the 5th position in the constructors’ championship with only two Grand Prix left to be disputed.
