“I am very grateful to everyone who waited and trusted me”
MADRID, 21 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish driver Fernando Alonso, who has returned to the podium seven years later by being third this Sunday in the Qatar Grand Prix, has assured that he has returned to Formula 1 to try to “fight to be champion once again”, and that this 2021 is “part of the plan” to achieve this, remembering that 2022 offers them “a ‘reset’ in terms of competitiveness.”
“I have returned to try to fight to be champion once more. 2022 offers us a ‘reset’ in terms of competitiveness. If we are not fast next year it is because of us, because we will not have done things well, not like this year, which is a continuation of the previous one. We have the opportunity to see if things go well for us. This year was part of the plan, “he told DAZN after the race.
On the podium, the Asturian recognized that he had been waiting for him for “time.” “It is podium number 98, but from 97 to 98 there was a very big pause. I am very grateful to everyone who waited and who trusted that I could be on the podium again. I am happy that it was today, with a good weekend, with competitiveness, there has been no chaos … “, he affirmed.
“We share the podium with Hamilton and Verstappen, no, with all due respect, with other riders. I am very happy and grateful to everyone who was waiting for years and trusted,” he said. “Hopefully reach 100 podiums one day. Hopefully for 99 we will not have to wait as long as for 98,” he added.
On the final stage of the race, where he endured the threat of Mexican Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez, Alonso explained that his tires felt “good”, but that the team told him “to take care of them because there had been some punctures.” “In the last sector I was saving time because they told me to loosen up for fear that the tire would explode. I thought they were not telling me anything about Pérez and I thought it was because I was going to overtake, I was a bit fly. I thought they didn’t want to tell me that to jump in case the tire exploded, because in the end a fourth place is good as a team. I was beginning to doubt, but in the end we managed to finish the job, “he concluded.