Fernando Alonso Copies Ja Morant’s Griddy at Bahrain Pre-Season Testing

Somin Bhattacharjee
|Published February 23, 2023

Ahead of the official 2023 F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso decided to spice things up on the pit lane. Alonso was fully suited up in his new Aston Martin race suit when he decided to hit the ‘griddy’.

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‘The Griddy’ is the name given to the dance brought out by NBA superstar Ja Morant. The Memphis Grizzlies guard often does the dance when his team has won an important game, and it has become viral in the NBA over the last two years.

It seems like Morant’s dance also caught the eye of Alonso, who was already feeling like celebrating before getting behind the wheel of the AMR-23. He performed the griddy in the pit lane right before the 2023 pre-season test got underway.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton Avoids $50,000 Fine While Spying on Max Verstappen’s New Challenger as F1 Pre-season Testing Kicks Off

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin off to horror start in Bahrain

Aston Martin is already facing the problem of not having Lance Stroll available for the test. The Canadian suffered minor injuries in a cycling accident that will keep him sidelined for all three days, so reserve driver Felipe Drugovich is acting as his replacement.

The Brazilian was the first Aston Martin driver to take their car out on track in 2023, and within moments, the AMR23 came to a halt. The session was red flagged while the car had to be removed from the track by the recovery truck.

Alonso was in a happy mood when he hit the griddy, but it must have all come crashing down when he saw his new team suffer from reliability issues, minutes into the new season.

Also read: “Should’ve Seen Us Behind Close Doors”: Upset Lando Norris Slams Carlos Sainz Narrative With Honest Take

Alonso hoping to avoid repeat of 2022 reliability concerns

Fernando Alonso left F1 at the end of the 2018 season to focus on other racing ventures but returned in 2021. He joined Alpine (formerly known as Renault) and insisted that he wanted to win races and fight for titles one last time before he retired for good.

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Unfortunately for the 41-year-old, Alpine could not give him a car that allowed him to fight at the front. After a troubled relationship with the team management in 2022 due to reliability concerns, Alonso decided to join Aston Martin.

Upon joining Lawrence Stroll’s team, the Spaniard was adamant that he wanted to work on a long-term project with them. Alonso is sure that Aston Martin will give him the opportunity to win races again before he calls time on his career.


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About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee is an F1 writer at The SportsRush. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and aims to work in the sports industry for the rest of his life. Somin has been a fan of Scuderia Ferrari since 2010 and his favorite driver is none another than the great Fernando Alonso. Other than longing for a Ferrari Championship win once again, Somin spends his free time playing football and basketball.

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