“I Am Not Pushing”: Fernando Alonso Once Clearly Lied on His Race Engineer’s Face

Tanish Chachra | 27/01/2023
“I Am Not Pushing”: Fernando Alonso Once Clearly Lied on His Race Engineer’s Face

Fernando Alonso is one of the best race drivers ever to grace the sport. That’s because the two-time world champion is extremely competitive and tries to push his challenge harder whenever possible.

At 41, he is starting a new stint with Aston Martin. Thus, telling the entire F1 community that he still adds value to the sport, as many wanted him not to return due to his age and advocated for a push for a younger driver.

But his stint with Alpine only proved that age is just a number for him. His ability to read situations and command his race separates the Spaniard from most drivers. Several drivers lack that, so they often cannot have a career like Alonso.

Also read: Toto Wolff Denies Lewis Hamilton is ‘Begging’ for New Contract

Fernando Alonso once lied to his Ferrari race engineer

During the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix race, Alonso was cruising towards yet another victory. According to his race engineer, during the 47th lap, the Spaniard was gaining 2-3 tenths of a second on every sector.

Thus, he was ordered not to push, as he was comfortable ahead. He replied promptly, “I am not pushing.” But it seemed like a lie as he recorded the race’s fastest lap.

Meanwhile, this was Alonso’s first race win of the season which kept him in that year’s championship contention till then. Until Sebastian Vettel soon went on a rampage and won nine races in a row to secure his fourth title.

Aston Martin: World championship project

Lawrence Stroll brought in Aston Martin from 2020 onwards as a team that would soon contest for the title. Seeing its predecessor, Racing Point, shine despite several adversities, the Silverstone-based team flourished.

But ever since it got rebranded as Aston Martin, the team has been underwhelming on the grid. In 2022, it was the last team on the grid to secure points, Though some solid performances late into the season elevated their position in the standings.

However, the team which hired one of the most successful F1 members aspires to be at the top. With Alonso, they are expecting to gain some knowledge from his experience.

Aston Martin boss Mike Krack expects the team to compete for the tile before he finally retires, as Alonso sees himself for only 2-3 years more in this sport.

Also read: When Nyck De Vries Added Himself To Lewis Hamilton’s Skydiving Plans Without The 7-time World Champion’s Permission

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Fernando Alonso

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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