Alonso worked ‘magic’ to return to podium in Brazil

Lando NorrisMore competitive than McLaren expected in this scenario, McLaren tried to surprise Max twice at the start but failed to stop the stubborn Red Bull, which faced the British in the race. Fernando Alonso gave it his all to claim his eighth podium of the season and executed a masterful defense against Sergio Pérez in the fastest car on the grid.

We got dumped twice after hitting bottom, in Austin and Mexico. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, Aston Martin He needed a positive result to say goodbye to the final part of the championship with a better taste in his mouth. And they have made clear that the pace of progress in Brazil since Friday is promising. The Silverstone guys opted for a hybrid between the old aerodynamic package and the one they introduced without success in the United States. And it worked.

Leclerc’s ‘misfortune’ and initial chaos

The Interlagos circuit never disappoints. Even though it is a narrow track with limited passing points, there can always be surprises. The weather factor came into play during qualifying on Friday, and this Sunday the first blow came before the race even started. Charles Leclerc was in second place on the grid after Max Verstappen. During the formation lap he lost control of his Ferrari and crashed into the wall, taking him out of the race before it had even started. “How can I be so unlucky?” asked the Monegasque pilot. yell. Respect what happened. Damage to his car forced him to retire.

His ‘misfortune’ This benefited the two Aston Martins, who automatically gained second (Strroll) and third (Alonso) starting places., respectively. Although starting was Fernando’s specialty, it did not work to his advantage to be meters ahead until the first corner. Norris, with an incredible manoeuvre, also managed to take position from the two cars at Silverstone.

at this point chaos ensued. Terrible crash for Albon and Magnussen This knocked them both out of the battle and also ruined their chances of winning. Ricciardo. There was a red flag too early before completing a lap. And a new opportunity for the ‘survivors’ in the beginning.

Norris tried again but this time Verstappen He reacted with greater expectation. Alonso unceremoniously attacked Hamilton and overtook the Briton regaining third place. Seeing the speed of Red Bull and McLaren before it, Fernando He needed to stop Mercedes to increase his podium chances.

norris He didn’t give up and showed his ‘claws’ again to Max, who was in perfect control of the situation. Carlos Sainzeighth place Stroll at your disposal. Second in the standings and sixth at the start, the Canadian was trying to quickly capitalize on his best chance of the season. CheckOn the other hand, he progressed from less to more and at the end of 18 laps, he rose five places and became fourth, behind Alonso, leaving Russell and Hamilton behind with a large advantage.

Alonso on the ‘virtual’ podium

Mercedes initiated the ‘bait’ and after Russell’s stop, Red Bull called Checo to pit. Returning to the track after Hamilton, the Mexican pilot protested on the radio against the strategy that forced him into a new fight with the seven-time champion, whom he passed for the second time.

Tire management, vital due to high temperatures at Interlagos, marked the high-voltage finish of the race. Stroll ‘flighted’ with the media and rose to the ‘top five’, leaving Mercedes behind. Alonso successfully completed his first pit stop, retaining third place and the ‘virtual’ podium, but nothing was decided with forty laps remaining.

Mercedes, which was fastest in São Paulo a year ago, with Russell and Hamilton taking the first two steps of the podium, did not experience the same feelings this weekend. In the sprint race on Saturday, both vehicles experienced many breakdown problems, and these problems were repeated today. Hamilton warned Wall of the difficulties he faced under pressure from Sainz, who came much faster after passing Russell. The Spaniard tried to secure sixth place by ruthlessly taking advantage of Lewis.

check, threat

Verstappen held off Norris by five seconds. While both are ‘light years’ from the other, Alonso pushed to block Check will get close enough to receive the DRS and Stroll He was racing at the same time as the Mexican from Red Bull. Aston Martin showed great pace, but there was one last move left. Perez He tried to undercut the Spaniard but the Silverstone wall copied a quick stop from Fernando, who returned to the track with a 4-second advantage over the Mexican and the new soft tyres, to face the final laps.

The Mexican driver, who maintained second place against Hamilton, followed Alonso to the end. The Asturian gave an impressive driving lesson, maximizing all the virtues of his AMR23, trying to keep the Checo under control, without being able to manage the tyres, without suffering and losing top speed in every straight line against the Red Bull.

Pérez’s overtaking with one lap remaining already looked like a sentence. But Fernando did not give up. On the track where he won two championships in 2005 and 2006, he once again resorted to his ‘magic’, surprising the Mexican again in the current and beating him at the same finish line by 53 thousandths of a margin. Alonso, who equaled Alain Prost’s 51st podium as the fourth most climbed pilot in history, more than deserved his eighth podium; Stroll finished the Aston Martin party in the ‘top five’. While the cameras focused on the Alonso-Checo duel, Verstappen achieved his 17th victory ahead of Norris.