“Absolutely incredible,” were the words of Alpine when Fernando Alonso showcased why he was a double world champion. His then-teammate, Esteban Ocon, became a race winner at Hungarian Grand Prix 2021. How it came about is a story for the history books. Fernando Alonso, on a much slower Alpine, defended the mighty Lewis Hamilton driving the fastest car on the grid. The defense, which lasted for 11 laps, became a lesson for the young rookie Yuki Tsunoda.
In the 2021 Turkish GP, Yuki Tsunoda in his AlphaTauri had fended off Hamilton for eight laps before the Briton overtook him. While the Japanese man got successful in his attempt to aid Max Verstappen regain the lead of the championship back in 2021, he himself had finished 14th after a spin. But Tsunoda self admittedly grew years in that one race. And it is all thanks to Matador Alonso.
In F1 Beyond the Grid Podcast, Yuki Tsunoda admitted to having learned a technique or two from Alonso. He said, “After it was Turkey Grand Prix. It was a similar situation. Had to defend from Lewis. Tried to copy as much as possible Fernando. And I [was] able to defend from him, 8 laps this time.”
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And the host assured Yuki that it was in fact a job well done, as the man himself had praised the youngster. The host added, “Lewis talked about that after the race as well. He said he had a great battle with you.”
While Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have been considered arch-rivals for almost 16 years now, the former has now made
Fernando Alonso declares his love for Lewis Hamilton with an unusual proposal
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In a recent interview with Daily Mail, while recalling the problematic time at McLaren, Alonso said, “It would be nice to end our careers together. I’d love that.” However, it seems like Lewis Hamilton, a few years junior to Alonso, has no plans to hang his boots anytime soon.
Wanting to pull a Stirling Moss, Lewis stated, “I think, for me personally, just as long as I can continue to help the team, as long as I can continue to help drive the team forwards and really contribute, then that’s why I want to stay. If there’s ever going to be a point where I feel like I’m not able to do that, then it’s time for a youngster to come in to take my seat. But I’m still pretty young, in pretty decent shape.”
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Do you think Lewis will hang his boots anytime soon?