Fernando Alonso’s Injury Scare Takes a U-Turn After Recent Post Paints the True Picture

In the aftermath of Formula 1’s summer break, the Dutch GP is making up for all the drama the F1 community was deprived of in the past month. An old-school track like Circuit Zandvoort—with its quick lap times and banked corners—was the perfect venue to get drivers back into racing mode, especially considering how close the pack is. In a race weekend riddled with interruptions and Red Flags, no matter the weather conditions, Daniel Ricciardo was the first driver to fall prey to the circuit’s demands. 

With a broken metacarpal bone on his left hand, courtesy of a freak accident during Free Practice 2, the Aussie’s weekend has been written off. Not just that. He might be out for at least three weeks, most likely missing the next two races as well. Considering the repercussions of his accident, Fernando Alonso caused an uproar of concern as he strode into the paddock this afternoon.

Has Fernando Alonso joined the list of injured drivers in the paddock?

Following his best qualifying performance since the Canadian GP, Alonso is set to line up P5 on the grid for Sunday’s race. But as he walked into the paddock this morning, according to a retracted Formula Directa tweet, he entered “with a bandage on the finger of his left hand.” With speculations about the possible extent of the injury, all eyes were set to be peeled on the two-time champion and his performance during Sunday’s race.

Well, Alonso usually grabs everyone’s attention one way or another, so an “injured” hand would have only given spectators an added reason to watch the Spaniard. Turns out, it wasn’t actually a bandage in Alonso’s hand. Per a new video posted by Formula Directa, “We see that what Fernando was carrying was not a bandage, but a bag.” [Translated by Google] Injury or not, it’s become a well-known fact that Alonso will do anything possible to overdeliver and get the best result he can. Even if it had been an injury that put him at a disadvantage, Alonso fans needn’t have had anything to worry about because Alonso is no stranger to injuries before races.

A week before Alonso made his F1 return in 2021, the two-time champion got into a cycling accident in Switzerland and fractured his upper jaw. To be all prepared for Bahrain Testing, he underwent surgery and ensured he was completely fit before stepping into an F1 car after three years.

Read More: 16 Years After Forcing Fernando Alonso Out, Lewis Hamilton Reflects on George Russell’s Challenge With the Same Lens

Needless to say, he delivered no matter the circumstances and had a pretty good first season back in the sport. Now that it’s confirmed he isn’t injured, he’ll have every intention of following through on his post-qualifying comments and wouldn’t mind literally getting his hands dirty.

Fernando Alonso is all set to move forward during the Dutch GP

After starting the season as the second-best team on the gris, Aston Martin slowed down midway through the first half, allowing Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren to catch up. With Aston and Alonso both P3 in the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships, the Spaniard has no intention of giving up that place. Starting P5 on the grid behind Verstappen, Norris, Russell, and Albon, he hopes for nothing less than a podium finish. He revealed this by giving a sneak peek into the mischievous side of his mind.

In a post-qualifying interview, he 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. Passing Albon would be interesting because his speed on the straight is sublime, and on the track, it will be more difficult. 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.”

Can Fernando Alonso break his podium drought at the Dutch GP?

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