Fernando Alonso and Sergio Peres provided us with one of the most entertaining last-lap battles of all time. After the race, Fernando embraced Perez as they showed nothing but respect for each other. However, Fernando is not sure if he can take another battle like the one he had with Perez in Brazil.
On Friday, Aston Martin was able to take advantage of the incoming storm to qualify 3rd and 4th. As they locked out the 2nd row, Alonso had a good chance of scoring a podium. This chance got even better when Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari had a hydraulic failure during the formation lap on Sunday.
However, Alonso had a bad start and allowed Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris to get past. But he did not stay behind the Mercedes for too long as he went for the overtake on lap 4 during the restart after the red flag. Although he was not able to challenge Lando Norris or Max Verstappen, he had the pace to remain 3rd at the moment.
Watch how Perez gains in the final few metres 👀#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/wN1QyFGVpp
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 7, 2023
Midway through the race, Sergio Perez caught up to Fernando and decided to challenge the Spanish driver for the final podium position. However, Perez was not fast enough to get past Fernando. After backing out and saving some battery, with 1 lap to go, Sergio Perez attacked Fernando with everything and was able to get past. However, on the final lap, the 2-time Champion would take back the position from Perez.
The 2 Spanish-speaking drivers would continue to race each other until the end line. Approaching the final straight, Perez got a good exit that placed him on the side of the Aston Martin as they got near the finish line. Perez lost to Alonso for the final podium position by 0.05 seconds.
Fernando Alonso has a request for Sergio Perez
After the race, both Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez had nothing but respect for each other. Sergio Perez claimed that he would have crashed during that battle with 95% of the grid. However, Alonso has been in the sport for over 20 years and has the experience and spatial awareness to make sure that the moves are clean.
While speaking to the media after the race, Sergio Perez came and gave Fernando a big hug as they conversed in Spanish. After their moment, the reporter asked Alonso what he said.
“I said Don’t put me under this stress anymore you know, because I’m not 20 years old anymore”
Respect for great racing. You simply love to see it. 🤝#BrazilGP | @alo_oficial @SChecoPerez
pic.twitter.com/ELizOO6IjD— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) November 6, 2023
Fernando Alonso is currently the oldest driver on the grid. However, he is driving like he is in his prime. Usually, F1 drivers start to think about retirement after the age of 35. Alonso is still going strong at the age of 42.
The Spanish driver has a contract with Aston Martin until the end of the 2024 season. If Alonso feels that he won’t be able to continue after, we could see him retire from the sport after next season. However, with Alonso, you can never know. For all we know he could sign a 5-year extension and deliver the same performance he has been giving us for the past 20 years.
Do you think Fernando Alonso will retire from the sport after 2024? Post your answers in the comment section below.