Unleashed when the first drops of rain made an appearance on the Russian circuit of Sochi, Fernando Alonso bet everything on a fleeting downpour that ended up lasting longer than expected for Alpine and forced them to stop.
Starting a race 6th on the grid and crossing the finish line in exactly the same position is usually synonymous with a Grand Prix with few changes. Nothing to do with GP number 327 in the sporting career of Fernando Alonso in Formula 1: a start in which he had to make use of the escape route to avoid hitting Russell’s Williams It ended up leading to a date where he fought some of the greats.
“We were doing very well in the dry, similar to ‘Checo’ even up to the stop. We passed Verstappen … we had a good pace today », began by analyzing the Asturian pilot. The pace of his Alpine A521 in dry conditions was higher than that of several of his rivals that he cannot normally hunt, something that combined with the partial rain gave him wings.
«When it started to rain, and we continued with the dry ones, there the truth is that I felt very good and I overtook ‘Checo’ and Carlos; we were in podium positions. Then in one lap it rained in turn 5, in another in turn 3, in the next it rained more or less … there you throw a coin in the air, ”Alonso continued detailing.
Choosing the right time to ride intermediates was decisive. Someone came in a little earlier. They were very lucky, because on the next lap it rained a lot and they overtook us. If it did not rain what it rained on that lap, they would have destroyed the water wheels and they would have finished out of the points, like Giovinazzi or someone who entered too early, “he argued.
Dodge luck
Despite the fact that the realization did not show it on the air, Alonso was one of the most intrepid when the first drops began to fall in Sochi. His scuffle with Pérez lasted several laps, maneuvers that ended in overtaking as happened with his compatriot Sainz.
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«Luck eluded us today quite a podium, but in terms of performance it was the best race of the year, for the team and for me. From the dirty part at the start we knew we were going to lose a bit, but then I hurried well into Turn 2 and had to skip the chicane, because I almost took Russell away. We had to keep the tires a bit, and then the car in clean air, when they all started to stop, We were going at a very good pace. Let’s take note of what we have done here, because it seems that we have taken a step forward, and that the next one will come, ”Alonso said hopefully.
«Today it is pure pure lottery, there is no one who can know the intensity with which the rain is going to fall on that exact lap you stop or the next. Today we had a bit of bad luck. Very good grade, the best of the whole year. To be fighting almost with ‘Checo’ when we both had the hard times, when the conditions became difficult to overtake him, Carlos, Ricciardo … Verstappen when we left the pitstop… they are things that we did not do in any other race, so you have to understand why we were going that little extra this weekend», He concluded.
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