“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.

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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.”

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