At 43, Fernando Alonso still has the rage to win. The Spanish driver remains an outstanding competitor, and Liam Lawson can confirm. Freshly promoted to Racing Bulls, the young New Zealand driver held on during the Sprint. The tone rose between the two men, and Alonso had promised revenge in qualifying. The least we can say is that he kept his word.
The tension is at its peak Austin for the launch of the final sprint of this 2024 season of Formula 1. Everyone wants to glean important points and the battle rages on the track. Saturday, during the SprintFernando Alonso criticized Liam Lawson for having dangerously defended his position during a maneuver. After the race, he warned Lawson of his revenge during the qualifications which took place the same evening. And as expected, Alonso overtook him and interfered with his preparation lap. The New Zealander revealed the content of their not exactly cordial exchange…
“He said he would fuck me, and I guess he kept his word”
« I don’t know, he said he’d fuck me, and I guess he kept his word. He was really upset, I don’t know why. We were racing for 16th place and I don’t know why he was so upset. That’s how it is. I hope he gets over it and we move on. He just played games outside the box. It is what it is, it’s part of the game – I don’t mind it. I understand he had a pretty horrible race, so I can understand him being upset. But if I had done something wrong, I would have gotten a penalty », regretted Liam Lawson in comments relayed by Nextgen-Auto. When asked, Fernando Alonso does not consider himself guilty of anything.
“What happened during qualifying?”
« In qualifying? What happened during qualifying? I wasn’t really in a timed lap, so I didn’t want to lose any more time. And I don’t think it changed much for him. But during the Sprint, we fought very hard. He fought hard, in my opinion, for a 16th or 17th place. But you know, there’s nothing we can do. As long as one of the two drivers lets off the accelerator, there is never an accident. So that was my case here. Everyone on the track behaves the way they want, and for me today it wasn’t necessary. You know, everyone can have different opinions. I agree with that. There are 24 races, so we meet somewhere in the journey “, declared Fernando Alonso.
