Fernando Alonso had engine problems in the race. After starting from the front row, he finished the race in seventh position just ahead of Bottas, whose attack he had to repel at the end of the race.
However, according to the sports commissioners, he did not do it in accordance with the rules. In the penultimate lap, Alonso changed direction more than once between turns 10 and 12. He was penalized 5 seconds and 1 penalty point for zigzagging – he now has a total of 6.
Because of this, Alonso dropped to ninth place for both Alfa Romeo drivers.
Engine problem
“Engine. That’s the only answer, “Alonso responded after the race to a question about his fall. The Spaniard started from the front row.
“We have had a problem with the engine since the 20th round. As soon as we came out of the bend on a straight line, we lost energy very quickly. We tried to fix it, but it didn’t work. Fortunately, we did not resign and gained a few points. But I think until then we fought for the podium. “
“At the beginning of the race, I felt strong compared to Hamilton, we just didn’t have the pace of Verstappen and Sainz, but it was enough to control Hamilton and Mercedes.”
“And then a virtual safety car. Luck or bad luck, it changed the race. Okay, but maybe we could still fight for third, fourth place. “
“But when the engine problem came, it was just an effort to survive, an effort for the DRS, a kamikaze cornering ahead of the detection point, because the DRS was then my only confidence on the straights.”
In the end, Alonso could not fight Ocon. He said on team radio that despite the problem with the engine, it is 100 times faster.
“I could not overtake. But yes, it was very frustrating because my car flew this weekend. And I had more or less a second loss on the straights. And even with that, I was getting faster and faster in the race. It’s unbelievable that I finished in seventh place. “
“We had the same tires because we both stopped during the VSC. I was a second slower on the straights, so I had to gain 1.1 or 1.2 seconds in the corners to reduce the loss. So it was hard, “Alonso said of the” duel “with a teammate.
Alonso complained about this year’s reliability, which bothers him more than Ocona.
“If we didn’t finish on the podium, it’s because we had a problem with reliability on car 14 and maybe bad luck with a virtual safety car, but you can’t affect your luck. The reliability of car 14 should be a little better. “
