Fernando Alonso’s Legendary Defence Against Lewis Hamilton to Cost Him a Race Win Becomes a Lesson for Life for F1 Newbie

An open mind and willingness to learn are two essentials required to discover one’s true potential. The F1 newbie’s willingness to learn with an open mind to learn it from a veteran has earned him praise. Fernando Alonso’s mega defense against Lewis Hamilton at the Hungaroring, which cost the seven-time world champion a race win, was the source of the F1 newbie’s learning. Let’s find out who this newbie is and what did he learn and who praised him.

Fernando Alonso is the oldest and most experienced driver on the F1 grid this season. The Spaniard is widely considered the best driver on the grid. Especially when it comes to race craft and foresight. Alonso showcased his race craft and defending abilities at the 2021 Hungarian GP when the Spaniard kept Lewis Hamilton at bay for 10 Laps. Hamilton was in a much faster Mercedes compared to Alonso’s Alpine and had a tire advantage as well. The 41-year-old’s defending prowess is the reason why he’s nicknamed ” the Spanish minister of defense”. Because Alonso held Hamilton for so many laps, the Spaniard’s teammate, Esteban Ocon, was able to win the race.

Yuki Tsunoda showed Alonso-esque defending at the 2023 Australian GP, where he was able to keep Kevin Magnussen at bay for a very long time. In the post-race interviews, Magnussen explained that Tsunoda’s positioning of the car in an attempt to him a bay impressed him. Tom Clarkson later revealed in the F1 Nation podcast that he asked the Japanese what he has been doing to improve his race craft.

According to the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson suggested that Yuki Tsunoda said, “I’ve been looking at videos… Particularly of the Hungarian GP in 2021 when Fernando Alonso kept Lewis Hamilton in a much faster Mercedes behind him for 10 laps and I was just watching the way Alonso was doing that [defending against Hamilton in Hungary], and I learned a huge amount”

Read More: Fernando Alonso Starts Revealing His True F1 Intentions After Podium Hattrick With Aston Martin’s 2023 Challenger

Fernando Alonso has always been a tricky cat to get past. But this season, we’re witnessing the attacking prowess of the Spaniard as well. The best example of this is when Alonso overtook Hamilton through turns 9 and 10 at the Bahrain GP. However, it’s his presence of mind and knowledge of the sporting regulations that have stood out.

Damon Hill praises the presence of mind and awareness of Fernando Alonso

We got to witness Fernando Alonso’s presence of mind at the Australian GP after Carlos Sainz spun the two-time world champion at the restart. With multiple collisions, the race was Red Flagged even before all the surviving cars made it past Sector 1. Alonso, who was dead last in the aftermath of the spin, quickly radioed his team telling them the grid order needs to be reset as it was before the restart giving reference to the 2022 British GP. Damon Hill praised the Spaniard’s awareness and explained how invested Alonso is in the racing.

According to Racingnews365.com, during the F1 nations podcast, Damon Hill said, ” We were making a joke that he should be a lawyer. I’d get him to defend me in a murder charge!”

Hill continued, “He already understands the rules. You’d expect someone who’s been in Formula 1 as long as he has and had all the experiences to have learned something, but you can’t automatically assume that. He’s invested in this, he understands it, and he knows, like Michael Schumacher as well.”

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What do you make of Tsunoda learning a thing or two from Fernando Alonso?