By leaving him the gain of the 6th place Sunday at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix, not sure that Fernando Alonso has really made a gift to Lance Stroll. Or it takes on a somewhat poisonous flavor, by bringing back to the forefront the status of son of daddy – and son of the boss – of the Canadian. A label that sticks severely to his skin since the beginning of his career in Formula 1. And even more so since he joined his billionaire father in the Racing Point team in 2019, which became Aston Martin two years later.
To discover
- Formula 1: the calendar of the season
- Formula 1: manufacturers' classification
- Formula 1: drivers' standings
Thus, on Sunday, while he came back very strong on Stroll at the end of the race, Fernando Alonso curiously made an act of submission by telling his team, via his radio: "Tell Lance not to worry, I just want to create a gap with the cars behind in case of rain." In other words, despite a much faster pace and fresher tyres, the Spaniard had no intention of attacking his teammate. This could pass for a great team spirit, but it does not stick to the ultra-competitive side of the Bull of Asturias, whose (numerous) passes of arms with his various teammates participate in his legend.
A choice that the double world champion justified as follows after the race: "There were only ten laps to run, I had slightly fresher tires but I was only driving two or three tenths faster than him (Editor's note: a little more in reality). So I wasn't going to go crazy and try something very complicated while finishing 6th and 7th, or 7th and 6th didn't change anything.
»Fernando Alonso transformed into a nice St. Bernard for Lance Stroll
Probably, if Alonso had inherited the same characteristics as those of a certain Pinocchio, his nose would have lengthened disproportionately on the spot. Except that obviously, the Spaniard, at 41 years old, has learned to put water in his wine, and to avoid any conflict with the boss of his team, Lawrence Stroll, determined to brood his offspring as long as his easy bank account allows him. As a result, Alonso had to settle for a 7th place in front of his home crowd in Barcelona, his worst ranking of the season, which loses two points in the World Championship standings, where he occupies 3rd place, 18 points behind Sergio Pérez and 12 units ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
" READ ALSO F1: Fernando Alonso tackles dryly Esteban Ocon
But what does it matter for the Spaniard, transformed into a nice St. Bernard for Lance Stroll, whom he had already defended a few days ago by saying that he had been "unlucky" in recent races. "Obviously, it's easy to make headlines and be tough about it. But you know, I think if you analyze all of his performance, he's very fast. It brings good feedback, good information and a good strategy for everything. So I hope for him that he has a bit more luck, because I don't think he lacks pace, these are just opportunities that have not been on his side." It must be nice to live in any case to have a double world champion of Alonso's caliber as a bodyguard and press officer. The power of money, certainly...
