The intense battle the two fought in the opening laps of the sprint race raised positive thoughts in Ricciardo’s mind, something that Norris agrees with and that the paddock has recognized Alonso several times.
At the last Austrian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso complained angrily that several drivers, including Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo, had taken the opportunity to escape from the first corner to gain ground after he had overtaken them, a maneuver that angered the Asturian to the point of promising that he too would skip the rules thereafter.
Now, just one appointment on the calendar later, it is the McLaren driver who instead gets rid of compliments towards his person. In sport, as in life, the years do not pass in vain, but for Ricciardo the Spanish Alpine rider is the exception that proves the rule.
«I congratulate you for making the classification to sprint it was quite exciting», confessed Ricciardo in reference to Alonso. “His departure was phenomenal and it kept us in suspense. I think it’s great to see … there is always the question, it seems to me that in any sport, of … ‘is age a factor to take into account?’ “, Reflected the # 3 aloud.
“His driving this year was probably the best on the grid, at least in some moments. It’s cool to see that he maintains a true passion and vocation for sport, who can continue to compete at a very high level, “he closed. These types of comments, without being motivated by any type of commercial interest, say a lot about the pilot who is Alonso on the verge of turning 40.
«Alonso knows the limits; it’s good, it makes it more exciting for him, for me and for everyone at home »
While Sebastian Vettel considered his ‘eses’ in straight “unnecessary”, Lando Norris also outlined a positive opinion on Alonso. “Obviously he moved around, but when he did I was never close enough to be dangerous. Therefore, I think he did nothing wrong; some think so, but it was okay. Know the limits of what you can do. It’s good, it makes it more exciting for him, for me and for everyone at home, it was a good fight, “he said.
Back and in the ointment
The exit of Alonso attracted the attention of much of the paddock, becoming a trend in social networks by starring in the star movement of the first classification to the sprint of the history of Formula 1. However, when his engineer informed him that the FIA had given them a warning for moving under braking, the Spaniard did not understand it.
“I was surprised”Alonso acknowledged. «At no time did I move under braking, I was moving at the beginning of the straight, although I don’t care. I’ve been 9 races on the other side, it’s going to be the same by the end of the year, so I’ll go to the dark side this time … With our feet on the ground, we still have a very long race ahead, with fast cars behind: the Ferrari, Sebastian, Checo … so the points will still be difficult to get, “he explained.
For himself, his first turn to Silverstone was «One of my best laps in Formula 1», at which point he demonstrated what a competitive car can count on in his hands. “I know there are many first laps that are considered good, especially in Renault’s time, but this time it was not just the start, but Turn 1, 3, 4, 6 and 9, it was a lap more complete, “he concluded.