“I got out of my car and I was looking at Massa” – Fernando Alonso reveals the real reason behind the incident that created the ‘Ferrari Stare’ meme

Janmeyjay Shukla | 18/07/2022
"I got out of my car and I was looking at Massa" - Fernando Alonso reveals the real reason behind the incident that created the 'Ferrari Stare' meme

Fernando Alonso staring at Felipe Massa at the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix is now a big part of F1 meme culture.

Every Formula One fan has seen that one historic video. A cameraman zoomed at Fernando Alonso’s face at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2012.

The Spanish driver looked shattered in pieces after losing the world championship to Sebastian Vettel. Meanwhile, all the other media personnel was busy clicking Vettel’s pics.

Fernando Alonso explained the actual story behind this stare to the media years later. That particular video is now a part of F1 meme culture.

Also Read: Otmar Szafnauer compares Fernando Alonso to former BAR Honda driver Takuma Sato

The title-deciding 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso could only qualify seventh for a must-win race if he wanted to win his career’s third F1 championship. It would also be Ferrari’s first since Kimi Raikkonen’s 2007 triumph.

However, things did not really go his way.  On a rainy Interlagos circuit, Vettel’s car suffered damage but was able to carry on till the end. In the middle of the race, Alonso led the world championship as the German was out of points.

Vettel was indeed the driver of the season as he drove on the Brazilian track and finished the race in the sixth position. Despite finishing second, Alonso lost the world championship to Vettel by 3 points.

Fernando Alonso explains the Staring meme

After the race, there were two types of emotions flowing in the F1 paddock. On one side, Vettel celebrated his third championship. On the other side, an emotional Alonso stared.

The then Ferrari driver explained this particular staring incident stating that it was not the truth. He said: “I got out of my car and I was looking at Felipe [Massa], who for some reason could not stop crying.”

The 2012 runner-up concluded by stating: “The story was that I was in shock or sad. To be honest, no I didn’t care that much. I wanted to give Felipe a hug.”

Also Read: George Russell ranks his $150,000 Mercedes AMG GT-R as his favorite car ever

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
Fernando Alonso Sebastian Vettel

About the author

Janmeyjay Shukla

Janmeyjay Shukla is an artist who contributes his expressions through words as an F1 writer and editor at The SportsRush. He is an F1 historian who has been watching the sport since he was a baby. Passed on from generation to generation, he has seen the prime of Michael Schumacher to the rise of Max Verstappen. A Mercedes fan from the days of the Brawn GP era, the sport runs in his blood. Besides Formula One, Janmeyjay is a Marketing Head and a musician who loves to sing and play Rock & Pop songs on guitar. His love for sports will never die as he is a loyal Liverpool Football Club fan as well!

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