Sunday: Fernando Alonso postpones the deadline for Ferrari
Mission accomplished for Fernando Alonso as his 4th place prevents Sebastian Vettel from being crowned today. He also takes the opportunity to become the driver with the most points in F1 history, surpassing Michael Schumacher. For Felipe Massa, the race started well, but a penalty for speeding only allowed him to finish 10th.
Fernando Alonso – 4th
4th was the best I could do today since the three in front of me were really out of reach. Given our starting position and how the trials went, I’m happy. It was a race full of action. Even though we suffered from traffic, the degradation was more normal than in Korea and we had a good pace again. Obviously, we need to find something if we want to finish on the podium in the last four races.
Today, Mercedes had some issues and we scored important points. We must give everything if we want to remain second in the constructors’ championship because they are not far behind. I am very proud to have become the driver with the most points in the history of this sport, even though in recent years, with the change in the points system, you earn more. Now, I want to celebrate this record and think about the next race in India. This one is already in the past.
Felipe Massa – 10th
It was a difficult day, with my penalty costing me any chance of having a good race or scoring more points. When I entered the pit lane, I didn’t realize I was going too fast. It’s the first time this has happened to me and it’s really a shame because I had a good pace during my first stint.
After my penalty, I was stuck in traffic, and the cars that made a third stop at the end of the race managed to overtake me easily with new tires. I’m disappointed because, without that mistake, I could have achieved a good result. For the remaining races, we have to keep fighting and I hope we can be competitive right away in India.
