The Asturian driver returned to Formula 1 last season with Alpine, a structure with which he won his two world titles, when it was still called Renault, in 2005 and 2006 . Decade and a half later, Fernando Alonso continues at an excellent level.
With a streak of ten consecutive races in the points, something he has done in all the teams he has passed through except for Minardi in his debut year, the Spaniard was left empty-handed after abandoning due to a pressure problem from the water of his A522 at the Italian Grand Prix. However, the two-time champion showed himself with a smile in the subsequent interviews, assuring that he hoped to reverse his luck at the next appointment in Singapore, where he presented himself with good credentials for it, because in qualifying he set the fifth fastest time and in the race held sixth against Max Verstappen solidly.
Just at the moment when he was thinking big to mount dry tires and catch his rivals off guard, the Spaniard’s car said enough and stopped at one of the Marina Bay run-offs due to a failure in its Renault engine. Alonso got out of the car upset and disappointed to have to retire when he could add good points that would lift him up in the general table, which would help his team to finish fourth in the constructors’ championship.
Hours after the race, and after showing that it was “unacceptable” to lose so many points in a season just due to mechanical failures, he published an image on his social networks in which he appeared fatigued with his hands holding his head on the other side of the fence, while the circuit marshals collected his Alpine.
“It hurts to think again that, in one of my best years, we have lost more than 60 points due to reliability problems. But the positive, and more important in this 2022, was to return to the best level, so I am sure things will come beautiful”, wrote the Oviedo on his Instagram account. “Thank you all for the love and support that never ends.”
Before leaving the paddock, Alonso declared before the press present what he had thought of the race, and a sanction is coming in the next appointments: “I think the engine mileage was fine, even Esteban [Ocon] had a problem today and It had a new engine, so we will have to use another one in the next races, for sure. I don’t know when, but it’s more points that we will lose.”
“It’s disappointing. There was an opportunity today, with the two dropouts, but Alpine doesn’t score points for the championship,” explained the Spaniard before being asked what he hoped to see the rest of the test, when his rivals were in the match to switch to slicks .
“It was difficult, but I think the most difficult part was at that moment, with the dry tyres. When I was in the race it was not so difficult, because we were not pushing so hard, and everything would be regrouped with a safety car, so that it was not very important to open any gap”, sentenced the Spaniard from Alpine.
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