Fernando Alonso Takes A Point Home From Austria

Jarrod Partridgeon July 5, 2021

2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Sunday - Fernando Alonso (image courtesy Alpine f1 Team)

On a mixed day for the Alpine F1 Team, Fernando Alonso secured a points finish, while his teammate was sandwiched on the opening lap, and was forced to retire with broken suspension.

Fernando Alonso Battles For Final Point On Offer

Fernando Alonso had to dig deep to claim tenth place, passing Williams’ George Russell four laps from the end after a battling duel between the pair.

On a bold one-stop, Medium to Hard strategy, Alonso was able to make the plan stick as he continued his points streak, which now spans to four consecutive races.

“It was difficult to score points today and we knew this starting from so far back. We are happy with the point, although we know we deserved more this weekend, but it’s better than nothing. It was a tense and a good battle with George [Russell] on-track this afternoon and in the end, we had better tyres and managed to accomplish the overtake. On a positive, we saw some good improvements from the team this weekend and the car felt good across all three days here. I feel more confident now going into Silverstone for the next race with the car and the tyres and I’m enjoying being more competitive,” said Alonso.

Early Exit For Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon‘s afternoon ended at Turn 3 on the opening lap of the 71-lap race as he was caught up in an incident between Mick Schumacher and Antonio Giovinazzi. The Frenchman was stuck in the middle of the pair and suffered front right suspension damage, which forced his retirement.

“It was unfortunate for our race to end early today. There wasn’t much I could have done as I was sandwiched between Mick [Schumacher] and Antonio [Giovinazzi] at Turn 3 in a racing incident. It’s one of those things and a consequence of starting the race at the back. There’s always a chance for fights and contact and it’s easier to be caught up in trouble there. The team and I can’t seem to catch a break at the moment. We’ll reset, restart from zero and prepare for Silverstone. The only way we can go is forwards,” added a disappointed Ocon.