Carlos Sainz shines on the worst day of the year for Fernando Alonso
Tears are too many in the face of the obvious: these things happen. A run off the track by Fernando Alonso took him away from the lead for the first time this year and in Montmeló, in front of his home crowd, he will start eighth. That’s Formula 1, that’s the way the sport is. The pretension that everything goes well, that there are no upsets, that nothing goes wrong, denies reality. But his poor qualifying position on Saturday also served as confirmation of his good season. Despite the incident suffered on the first lap, despite the damage to the flat bottom of his Aston Martin, he saved Q1, saved Q2 and did what he could in Q3.
“I had a bad Saturday. On my part more than anything. I put a tire on the wet side and the car went off in the last corner. I damaged the bottom and lost performance from there the whole time trial. It hurts a bit more because it was on the start lap.. If it was in the good turn, okay. But in the warm-up lap it bothers more. It is what it is. I didn't have the best Saturday, let's see if I have the best Sunday”, commented Alonso, sorry for the first time this year, but still with hope.
Will it be difficult for him to return to the podium? It will be difficult, but not impossible. Because, as he showed in training, here he is fast. And because others, many others failed. In fact, the first rebellion of the year was experienced on the Spanish circuit, with drivers from Alpine, McLaren and even Haas fighting for the noble positions on the starting grid. With Charles Leclerc knocked out in Q1 and Checo Pérez and George Russell out in Q2, Lando Norris (third), Esteban Ocon (sixth) or Nico Hulkenberg (seventh) will start ahead of Alonso.
“Very difficult conditions”
In this context, the threat for Max Verstappen, owner of pole position, the favorite this Sunday (3:00 p.m., DAZN), will be Carlos Sainz, who shone more than ever this course. In fact, for the first time he will start from the first line. After the collapse of his teammate at Ferrari and some difficulties in the previous rounds, in Q3 he excelled with an almost perfect lap. “Before qualifying it rained and that made the track conditions very difficult, there was a lot of danger. I felt very good driving and tomorrow the goal will be to get on the podium,” said the Spaniard.
A roar was heard throughout the circuit when Sainz passed the finish line after Alonso’s lament for the bad weather. The two compatriots started their final attempt together and, at that garage exit, took the cheers of all the stands, one by one. Then all the fans fell silent, total silence north of Barcelona, until both finished their laps. After a full day, of enduring hours and hours in the rain, there was no celebration, although the Spanish podium options are maintained. No need for tears in the face of the obvious: these things happen.