Despite Perfect Opportunity, Life-Threatening Reason Kept Fernando Alonso From Beating Max Verstappen

In the words of George Russell post-qualifying at the Dutch GP, “I’m sure Max will be having his Sunday drive and waving to the crowd on his way tomorrow.” As the five lights went off and everyone got off the line on Sunday, Max Verstappen looked like he was on his way to another comfortable victory at his home race. But Circuit Zandvoort had every intention of making it a hard-fought battle, and it did. The hard-fought battle came in the form of Fernando Alonso in the dying stages of the race, challenging Verstappen for the win. Eventually, the Dutchman came out on top, and Alonso revealed why.

After starting fifth, Alonso was fighting it out with Verstappen in the dying stages of the race—Alonso chasing his 33rd win and Verstappen chasing his 9th consecutive win. While it looked like Alonso had the pace to overtake the reigning champion for the lead, he decided against it—all because he prefers staying alive more than winning a race.

Why was Fernando Alonso in danger of surviving the night? 

The “Max, Max, Max, Super Max” chants ringing around Circuit Zandvoort and the roar of the crowd every time Max Verstappen topped the timing charts—is there a more dedicated Formula 1 fanbase than the Orange Army? The Orange Army, just like F1, is a traveling pack that follows Verstappen wherever he goes through the sunshine and the rain. It’s like they’d do anything for Verstappen, anything to see him happy. Maybe even commit a crime. That’s precisely what Fernando Alonso was afraid of.

The Dutch GP was full of surprises. After an exciting qualifying that resulted in six teams starting in the top six, the rain forecast for the race didn’t disappoint. Less than one lap after the race started, the skies opened up, and rain poured down, throwing the teams’ strategies out the window. The challenging conditions led to incidents and crashes, bringing out the Red Flag towards the end of the race. After starting in P5, Alonso was set to restart the race in wet-weather conditions in P2 behind Verstappen. With less than 10 laps remaining, it was safe to assume that Alonso would do everything he could to get past the Dutchman. While doing exactly that, though, he realized his life was more dear to him than another F1 win.

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After backing off and settling for second place, the Spaniard revealed just why he held back in the post-race interview. He said, “I did think about trying a move [on Max] in the restart, but then I thought I maybe cannot exit the circuit anymore.” He alluded that had he beaten Verstappen, the Orange Army would’ve unleashed hell on him. To save himself from that wrath, he let Verstappen get the win. Considering the Orange Army was also chanting the Fernando Alonso song, they wouldn’t have been too feral watching Alonso win. Either way, Alonso secured a podium, just like he’d predicted.

Fernando Alonso’s prophecy came true

Aston Martin started the season as the second-best car, but it hadn’t made too many improvements since the Canadian GP in June. After losing P2 in the championship to Mercedes and letting Ferrari and McLaren make up ground as well, Alonso wanted to start the second half of the season on a positive note. Following his best qualifying performance since the Canadian GP, the Spaniard lined up in P5 for the race behind Verstappen, Norris, Russell, and Albon.

Talking about his expectations for the race in a post-qualifying interview, the Asturian said, “Hopefully, the first 3 or 4 will try gravel tomorrow. I am very excited with the podium than I was in the last few races. We are two positions down. Hopefully, we can get a good start. Turn 1 is iconic, and tomorrow, hopefully, we’ll see the first three or four cars test the gravel. It could be even more iconic.” He hoped for a good start and a good start he got. By the second lap, he was already in second place. While it wasn’t the gravel traps that played into his hands, it was the weather, courtesy of which he got his first podium in five races.

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Do you think Fernando Alonso had a real chance of overtaking Verstappen and making the move stick?