Fernando Alonso, historic podium number 100: “Everything fantastic”

A historic podium, greeted with big smiles.

Fernando Alonso finished third at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, beaten only by the Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. An unforgettable result for the Spaniard of Aston Martin, who precisely in Jeddah collected podium number 100 of his Formula 1 career. And after the race he commented on it with great enthusiasm.

“What a start to the season, unbelievable,” remarked Alonso, who after the start had also briefly found himself in first place. “Probably a month ago, when we unveiled the new Aston Martin, we could not have even thought we would be at this point. But the team has made a fantastic car, as fantastic was the execution of this race. And I’m referring to the car package, but also the strategy.”

Alonso then also analyzed the penalty, given to him for incorrect grid positioning. “I have to review what happened. Obviously I made a mistake,” the Asturian admitted, “but when they told me they were going to penalize me five seconds I said I would make up for it by driving even faster. The Grand Prix here is always tough, but the team’s work gives me a lot of energy to push from start to finish. Red Bull is out of reach, but we are behind them.”