Alonso retires from his 400th GP after receiving “love and respect”

Fernando Alonso philosophically welcomed his retirement, in Mexico, for what was the 400^e GP of his career in Formula 1. The Spanish driver was forced to return to his stand due to a mechanical problem.

While he had managed to glean a few positions at the start of the GP, Alonso was only able to complete a few laps of the Mexico GP: in fact, Aston Martin was forced to call him back to the box after the detection of an increase temperature at the left front brake, in which something was stuck.

“The start was a little chaotic, but Lance [Stroll] and I took the opportunity to gain positions”commented Alonso once back in the paddock. “ We were 11th and 12th, hoping for opportunities to score points, but on lap 13 the temperatures didn't look safe on the left front, so we made some adjustments with the steering wheel to protect that part of the car. Maybe something got in, like pieces of carbon fiber or debris,” said the grid veteran. “At the start, the team was looking at the temperature, but after two laps the brake pedal failed, and the temperatures were not safe to continue the race. »

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No celebrations at the sporting level for the one who wore a special helmet this weekend to mark the event of his 400^e Grand Prix lineup, but still a positive look at his overall outing.

“It was fate, a little unfortunate today, I didn’t finish the race”the Spaniard could only observe. “It was a useful weekend, with a lot of testing: in FP1 and FP2 we found a few things, and I hope we can come back stronger. We're not where we want to be, although I've received a lot of love from the paddock, a lot of respect, and it's nice to have that. »

“I have a positive feeling after the weekend, despite the result. We are looking for better results and we need to improve, but it was an unlucky weekend, with the yellow flag in Q2, and today with the debris in the front brake: we were unlucky. We weren't in the points, so I prefer bad luck when I'm not in the points! »

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