Two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso faced a tough challenge at the opening lap of the 2022 Hungarian GP.
Last year’s outing in Hungaroring treated fans with some vintage Alonso action. His teammate Esteban Ocon was leading the race, after a chaotic start saw multiple drivers retire, and the field shaken up.
Alonso’s former teammate Lewis Hamilton was on the hunt for the win, but Alonso held him off for multiple laps. This was particularly impressive because the Spaniard was in an Alpine, a comprehensively slower car than the Mercedes of Hamilton.
📻 Alonso: “Never in my life have I seen a defence like Esteban’s.” #F1 #HungarianGP
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) July 31, 2022
His heroic defense of Hamilton allows his French teammate to win his first F1 race ever. This season however, Alonso was the victim of some solid defense himself.
The driver who was defending his charge this time was the one whom he helped last year. The 41-year old praised his teammate on the team radio.
Fernando Alonso has never seen defense like Esteban Ocon’s
Alpine have made big strides this year. They are currently P4 in the Constructors’ Standings, ahead of McLaren and Alfa Romeo.
Heading into this week’s Hungarian GP, the Alpine drivers looked strong. Ocon started the race P5 and Alonso followed behind on P6. However, on the very first lap the two of them almost made contact.
Alonso tried taking the inside line in an attempt to get past the Frenchman, but the latter aggressively defended his line and almost pushed him off track.
Fernando Alonso: “Nunca en mi vida he visto una defensa como la de Ocon”https://t.co/qa0965ZUrs pic.twitter.com/OHCyVu4dhu
— Fernando Alonso Noticias (@FernAlonsoNews) July 31, 2022
Alonso was visibly not happy with how Ocon defended against him. He will be especially annoyed, considering how he helped the 25-year old win last year by holding Hamilton off.
“Never in my life have I seen a defense like Ocon’s,” the former Ferrari driver said on the team radio. Ocon’s defense on Alonso rattled him a little bit, and potentially compromised any further moves he was going to make moving forward.
Alonso is currently 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, with 37 points to his name. Ocon meanwhile is two places ahead of him in P8 with 56 points.
Also read: Max Verstappen asks $1 Billion F1 team for a favour at Hungaroring
