Beer and karma, Alonso shoots left and right

Alonso (Retirement): Better to laugh than to cry

His situation is so delicate that his radio exchanges might be more anticipated than his own races. Irritable, the double world champion did not appreciate the nonchalance of the stewards during his confrontation with Jolyon Palmer. Still fighting after the first chapter of Spa-Francorchamps, the duo was then battling for the twelfth place since the 14th lap.

Neck and neck, Alonso pushed the Renault driver to shortcut the second chicane. Not giving back the position, the former demanded a sanction from the stewards. It came, with Palmer receiving a five-second penalty on his race time.

Judging the sanction insufficient, the Bull of Asturias saw red, with this rather comical quote in the interview area. « There is normally something very clear in the rules: when both cars are side-by-side in a chicane, and one of them doesn’t take it, it must give back the position to the other. But this time, the FIA must have been having a Heineken! » (title sponsor oblige)

This is not worthy of Formula 1 standards. There is no possible interpretation. It’s black or white, whether it’s for victory or a fight between 16th and 17th place, it doesn’t matter.

A little further on, Alonso wasn’t giving up. At the very least, he wanted to know where his new friend had gone, who had just retired due to a transmission problem.

“Where is Palmer?” he asked his engineer.

He abandoned Fernando.

Karma! A new reflection that provoked laughter in the Monza press room.

“Where is Palmer…?”

‘Fernando v Jolyon’ is fast becoming our favourite #F1 soap opera#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/lF87GudEzm

— Formula 1 (@F1) 3 septembre 2017

More seriously, this incident will have no consequences. Already penalized with a 35-place grid penalty, Alonso was experiencing downshifting issues with the gearbox anyway. Unfortunate after a satisfactory first half of the race, just outside the top 10.

I had trouble shifting gears from the first laps of the race, which already cost me time: a second per lap. We tried changing some settings but the gear shifting never worked as expected. It ruined my race… Therefore, retirement was on the horizon in the penultimate lap, to preserve the gearbox. His number of retirements thus rises to eight in 2017. His total for the year 2015, during his first season with McLaren-Honda, is already matched. His personal record of nine retirements with Minardi during his rookie season (2001) is within sight.

Fortunately for him, friends are there to support him, in a barely veiled reference to his Sunday opponent…

Honorable weekend for Vandoorne, despite the retirement

The Belgian, on the other hand, suffered a power loss on the 33rd lap, forcing him to pit prematurely. His highlight had already passed, with a fine qualifying session, finishing in Q3 (10th fastest time). His race was also penalized by 25 grid positions due to an MGU-K change after a new issue was detected on Saturday night.

Let’s salute his excellent start, crowned by an overtaking move on Carlos Sainz. Vandoorne had settled into the top 10 (seventh on the 19th and 20th lap). The achievement was therefore in sight. It all vanished on the 34th lap when he suffered a power loss on his old MGU-K.

« The problem is similar to that on Saturday… It’s obviously very frustrating. Let’s hope it will be better in Singapore! »

« It’s still very difficult to find something positive with weekends like this one. For my part, it was really a positive weekend in terms of driving and performance delivered, I felt really strong. In fact, I’ve been feeling strong since the last races »

Let’s bet for him that these following words do not come true on a circuit that could finally allow him to fight!

« It is likely that we will have another grid penalty in Singapore, although we do not know exactly what the problem was during the race. Wait and see »

There’s the chequered flag. An unfortunate end to our #ItalianGP with both cars retiring. pic.twitter.com/k2wmSblMWk

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) 3 septembre 2017

On the remaining races, the night race in the city-state will be the best chance for the Woking duo to shine. It is about scoring points for the third time this season, after the two points earned in Baku and the nine earned in Hungary (seven for Alonso, two for Vandoorne).

The timing would be opportune just as the future of the team and its star driver unfolds before our eyes. The latest whispers gathered in the paddock suggest that Alonso might ultimately continue the adventure with the team, if the split with Honda is confirmed.

The saga awaits its conclusion!