Fernando Alonso finished third in Melbourne and was pleased with the results of the race…
Q: Fernando, third race of the season, third podium. You are happy?
Fernando Alonso: Very satisfied. The team took third and fourth place with 27 points, an incredible result! I am happy for our employees.
The match was not easy. We got lucky with the first red flag when George and Carlos changed tires. In terms of speed I was close to Lewis all race, but every time I tried to get closer he increased the pace. I tried to put pressure on him, but he drove an incredible race, without making a single mistake, as you would expect from a champion. There was one block, I think in turn 13, but this is the only spot in 58 laps. So yes, third place suits me.
Q: Tell us about the moment Carlos Sainz hit your car on the restart…
Fernando Alonso: At that time I did not know who hit me. I felt someone hit my car in the first corner.
Maybe only in Jeddah did I have a normal start. In Bahrain I was hit by Lance. But we have a strong car!
I think the punishment for Carlos is too severe. Partly because it is difficult to assess the degree of adhesion in the first round. It is clear that none of us will crash into another car. We know that we are risking both our car and our position, but sometimes we find ourselves in situations where it would be better if we weren’t there at the time. It’s just part of racing.
Q: What do you think of the number of red flags in this race?
Fernando Alonso: Honestly, all the red flags raised questions. The first was courtesy of Williams in turn six, but it came after we circled behind the safety car. There was nothing dangerous there, just some gravel. But when we’re in the car, we don’t see the big picture. Maybe the barrier was damaged there or something. The FIA has more information than we do, but if the race is stopped by red flags there must be a reason.
Maybe they will tell us in Baku why the red flags appeared a second time. Yes, there was a piece of a tire on the straight, but the car itself was on the inside of turn 4 and posed no danger. In such a case you need a safety car. Obviously we have a different opinion on this matter but, as I said, only the FIA has all the information, in such situations we trust them and try to support them.
Q: Fernando, for the third time in a row you finished third, but for the first time one of the cars in front of you is not Red Bull. Why did this happen? What do you think of the battle with Mercedes this weekend? What will the balance of power be like in the future?
Fernando Alonso: This time, Perez did not compete for leadership or he would have been on the podium. The Mercedes were also fast in Jeddah, I was within a tenth of George the whole race, the fight was very, very close.
It seems that qualifying is very important now, because the race pace of different teams is very similar. An interesting part of the season begins where the team is ahead and improves their car better and faster.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
