F1, Fernando Alonso exalted by duel with Sergio Perez

Fernando Alonso regains his smile

He had come from several races without any particular sharpness, plus he had to deal with rumors that wanted him away from Aston Martin, responding in kind: Fernando Alonso’s weekend in Brazil did not start with the best auspices, but the Asturian pulled off a series of gritty performances already from Friday, finishing third in Sunday’s race after a thrilling duel with Sergio Perez’s Red Bull.

"The last laps in which Checo put me under pressure seemed like many more than they actually were – said the Asturian in the interview at the foot of the podium – When he passed me on the penultimate lap, I told myself it was over by then, but I tried to exploit his way into Turn 4 in my favor, and thus managed to give an important result to my team".

"We have struggled in recent months,” he added, “especially in the last two GPs with two retirements: this podium è for them, for everyone who works to improve the car. I do what I always do, fight until the last lap".

"We are still learning,” the two-time Formula 1 world champion said in conclusion, “because these cars are very complex aerodynamically. We have also tried something with a view to next season, we hope toò finish well already this".