Fernando Alonso delivers iconic team radio message during Singapore GP
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso encountered several sources of frustration at the Singapore Grand Prix. There was Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar, plus a very slow Aston Martin pit stop.
And as he came to terms with the recovery mission ahead, Alonso delivered a moment of team radio gold, warning race engineer Andrew Vizard that keep talking every lap, and the radio was getting disconnected. You can’t get a clearer instruction than that.
Fernando Alonso steals the show with Singapore GP radio brilliance
Having been jumped by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar at the start, Alonso was swiftly able to undo the damage. Sadly, he would later be tasked with repeating the overtake.
A one-stop strategy was the way most went in Singapore. Alonso was no exception, swapping soft tyres for mediums. However, a 9.2-second stop, was certainly not what team and driver had in mind.
At this point, it did not take a genius to work out that Alonso would not be very happy. That was confirmed when Vizard braved it and radioed in to Alonso’s Aston Martin.
“34 to go,” said Vizard, referring to the laps remaining.
Alonso’s response? This: “If you speak to me every lap, I will disconnect the radio.”
Iconic from Alonso, who took a page out of the Kimi Raikkonen playbook, with his own version of requesting to be left alone to do what he knows how to do.
And that, is excelling at the wheel of a Formula 1 car. Alonso worked his way back into the top 10, where he had initially been competing. That recovery mission included a re-pass on Hadjar, who Alonso sarcastically awarded the “trophy for hero of the race”, as the radio tension returned.
Engine issues had set in for Hadjar, who was losing up to 0.4 seconds per lap. Alonso was not happy that Hadjar tried to make a battle out of their final Singapore GP encounter.
“Sometimes, some battles you need to know when it’s better to fight, when it’s not, because probably the final result of the race could be worse for both for sure – but for him in particular,” said Alonso after the race.
“So yeah, I think some unnecessary risk, but I understand that this is Singapore and you need to fight hard, and he did his best, but we lost time for sure.”
Hadjar just thought Alonso was being “really grumpy” about it all.
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Alas, Hadjar and Vizard were not alone in experiencing a spiky Alonso over the radio. Hamilton was the subject of an X-rated tirade after initially claiming seventh ahead of the Spaniard.
The stewards later issued a five-second penalty for multiple track limit violations, as brake issues took hold on Hamilton’s Ferrari. That promoted Alonso to P7.
“I cannot f***ing believe it,” Alonso repeated in fury over the radio, asking: “Is it safe to drive with no brakes?”
Having suggested a five-second penalty for Hamilton, Alonso got that wish. After all that upset and drama, Alonso still took six points away with him from Singapore, as Aston Martin look to cling on in the fight for P5 in the Constructors’ Championship.
Read next – Revealed: The true impact of Lewis Hamilton’s brake failure at the Singapore GP
