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WEC title proves Alonso hasn’t been in “darkest tunnel for decades
The double F1 champion kicked off the new F1 season with a hat-trick of podium finishes. This comes after his switch from the Alps to an in-form Aston Martin, which Max Verstappen believes will win this year’s Grand Prix.
Verstappen also pointed out that Alonso should have more F1 victories than his current 32.
Ferrari’s decline at the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014, before Alonso’s ill-fated move to McLaren in 2015, hurt that figure as the team hit rock bottom through a turbulent engine partnership with Honda.
The slump prompted Alonso to quit F1 in pursuit of the so-called “Triple Crown”, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice and the WEC in 2018-19, although he failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 powerful.
Alonso says his LMP1 sports car achievement at Toyota should prove his speed hasn’t diminished in his time away from F1, despite only one podium finish when he returns to the top flight in 2021.
#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota TS050 Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima, Fernando Alonso
Photography: Joe Portlock/ motorsport pictures
Alonso said: “It didn’t take that long (because I had a realistic chance of winning the race).
“I know people always think I’ve been in the darkest tunnel for decades (but) I was world champion (in the WEC with Toyota) four years ago.
“I know it’s not F1, but our world is more than F1. You know, there are so many beautiful things in motorsport.
“Just four years ago, I was winning and dominating the WEC.
“I’ve been fighting for a podium in Alpine for the last two years. I’ve been fighting for pole position in Australia last year, as I was in Canada eight months ago.”
Alonso added that there were “exceptional circumstances” that brought him back into the spotlight following his move to Aston Martin, but he was not uncompetitive before.
He continued: “In 10 years, I never felt like I was out of Q1, and now all of a sudden I’m alive.
“I’ve always been competitive and hopefully now I’m even better.
“But it doesn’t change much until you win, get seventh or third, or get second, or get 11th. It doesn’t change — you win or you lose.”
Nick de Vries finished the Spanish GP with the same finish he started with: fourteenth. The AlphaTauri driver was aiming for points on the familiar track of Barcelona, but a poor start prevented him from actually breaking into the top ten.
The German manufacturer saw Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finish second and third respectively in Barcelona, behind race winner Max Verstappen, taking the team up to 11 in the constructors’ standings. second.
But a few hours after the race, the team was notified that team members may have violated the regulations for the post-race parc ferme area set up in the pit lane.
The FIA asked a representative from Mercedes, plus Hamilton and Russell’s medical examiners, to report to the stewards on Sunday night.
The teams are regularly informed before the race who and who are not allowed to enter the parc ferme after the race.
There are also strict limits on how long physiotherapists are allowed to interact with drivers before the podium ceremony.
In a note sent to the teams ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday morning, the FIA said: “In addition to the team mechanics (and cooling fans if necessary), officials and the FIA pre-approved TV crew and the FIA Federation-approved photographers, no one else will be allowed into the designated area once the car enters the Parc Ferme area (no team PR).
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, 3rd, celebrates at Parc Ferme
Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures
Furthermore, it added: “The driver physiotherapist must wait outside the cooling room behind the podium until the end of the podium ceremony in accordance with the instructions given to all teams by media representatives.”
This is not the first time that a driver’s physio has been in breach of parc ferme regulations.
At last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, the top three drivers Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Hamilton were all suspended and fined €10,000 for similar parc ferme violations.
That was because the team doctor entered the parc ferme area in the post-match moments, violating the guidelines issued earlier in the day.
Should a violation occur, the circumstances could be subject to similar penalties, rather than risking a sporting penalty that could affect the outcome of the match.
Mercedes may be in trouble. The team had to report to the stewards of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for the alleged breach of post-race procedure.
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