News Summary
- Fernando Alonso described Carlos Sainz’s defensive move during their Spanish GP battle as “unnecessary”.
- Alonso struggled with power delivery after slowing for blue flags and eventually finished 17th.
- The Aston Martin driver wants changes to parts of Madring after concluding that overtaking was too difficult.
Fernando Alonso described Carlos Sainz’s driving as “unnecessary” after their clash in the Spanish Grand Prix and urged Formula 1 to consider changes to Madring following the circuit’s debut race.
The two home drivers made contact while fighting deep in the field, with Alonso immediately complaining over the radio that Sainz had squeezed him towards the wall under braking. The incident damaged the Aston Martin’s front wing and forced Alonso into the pits, while Sainz was later handed a 5-second penalty.
Speaking to GRANDE PRÊMIO and other media after the race, Alonso expanded on his criticism of the Williams driver.
“I think it was unnecessary,” Alonso said. “There was plenty of space on the left, while I was right against the wall on the right, doing 340km/h. There was no need for that. Maybe he missed the braking point and hit someone, I don’t know.”
The incident had already produced one of Alonso’s most pointed radio messages of the afternoon. After making contact with Sainz, Alonso complained that the Williams driver had “crashed into two people” at the start before squeezing him towards the wall.
Beyond the collision, Alonso said Aston Martin had struggled with power delivery whenever he was forced to slow down, including while allowing leaders through under blue flags.
“It was difficult,” he explained. “I almost lost positions in the pit stops, with the blue flags when letting others through and slowing down. The engine struggled to recover the power after that, so we need to analyse what happened.”
“With the pace we had, the final result probably wouldn’t have changed much.”
Alonso eventually finished 17th, two laps behind race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli. His difficult Sunday followed a Q1 elimination in qualifying, when Lando Norris beat Antonelli by just 0.011s to take the first F1 pole position at Madring.
Asked for his verdict on the new Madrid circuit after its first Grand Prix, Alonso suggested modifications could improve the racing over the course of Madring’s long-term F1 deal.
“It would be good to have changes at Turns 10.5, 6 or 7,” Alonso said. “Maybe there are limitations because we go underneath a highway or something like that, there’s a bridge there, so I think it will be a challenge.”
“I don’t know if the race was fun to watch, but overtaking was difficult. But I believe they are open to listening to our suggestions.”
Formula 1 now heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan GP on September 24-26.
FAQ
What did Fernando Alonso say about Carlos Sainz in Madrid?
Alonso described Sainz’s move during their battle as “unnecessary”, arguing there was enough room for the Williams driver to leave him more space.
Why did Alonso struggle in the Spanish GP?
Alonso said Aston Martin experienced difficulties recovering power after he slowed down, particularly when obeying blue flags. His race was also compromised by front-wing damage following contact with Sainz.
What changes does Alonso want at Madring?
Alonso suggested Formula 1 and the circuit could consider changes around Turns 6, 7 and the Turn 10 area. He said overtaking was difficult during Madring’s inaugural F1 race.
