Fernando Alonso he smiles again, the Aston Martin makes him dream of returning to the top and his enjoyment at the wheel was demonstrated this Sunday, with a recital of overtaking Hamilton and Sainz with radio message included.
The two-time world champion wanted the podium, he already showed it in the first free practice sessions of the weekend, and confirmed it on the day of truth. He found himself with a golden opportunity, sixth position with better tires than Hamilton (fifth) and Sainz (fourth) and he did not miss it.
His first victim was Hamilton, with whom he recovered the eternal duel of legends. Alonso tried twicefirst with a simple overtaking that he lost when he over-braked, and then with a more elaborate pass and this time definitive.
Overtaking was a work of art. First he showed the nose of his AMR23 to the right, the outer zone of the curve, and then take advantage of the hole left inside by Hamilton to get fifth. Hamilton tried to return to his position, but Alonso was already thinking of the next one, his compatriot Carlos Sainz.
Two and a half seconds behind the Spaniard, Alonso stepped on the accelerator to the full with the fortune that, before reaching Sainz’s Ferrari, Leclerc’s car (third) went out, so he went on to fight directly for the podium. The reliability problems of the Prancing Horse were also noticeable in Sainz’s car, with which Alonso had a shorter battle than with the Englishman, but more to the limit, with the two cars very close together.
It didn’t take long for the Asturian to certify his third place behind the Red Bull, and neither did he show his joy, with a “bye, bye” addressed to his team on the radio as soon as he overtook Carlos Sainz Junior. “It’s a pleasure to drive this car”, he shared with his team a little later, despite not yet having seen the checkered flag, but being aware that it will not be the only race in which he has options to fight for the podium. .
