Fernando Alonso leaves the track: “It was the best day to retire.”
The Spanish driver went off track on the third lap at the very fast Pouhon corner. The Aston Martin driver was far from satisfied and believes that "it was the best day to retire", in difficult weather conditions and on his 42nd birthday.
Fernando Alonso will have seen better birthdays. The Spaniard, who is celebrating his 42nd birthday this Saturday, July 29th, ended his sprint race in the gravel trap at the Pouhon corner. On the third lap, Aston Martin number 14 slid on a wet kerb, before finishing the race just inches from the wall. He was then chasing after Nico Hülkenberg.
« It’s my fault. I touched the rumble strip or the white line, I don’t know, and I lost the car. I was very close to Nico [Hülkenberg], so I lost a bit of rhythm in that corner. We were out of the points anyway, it was impossible to be in the top 8 today. If you have to retire once, it’s better today than any other day », confessed the Spanish driver.
React as the main driver on Sunday
Fernando Alonso also received an [warning](/f1/actualite/31267-fernando-alonso-recoit-avertissement-commissaires-course.html) during this race. The two-time world champion changed direction in a dangerous manner, just in front of Nico Hülkenberg, a little earlier.
The Aston Martin driver hopes to bounce back this Sunday after a blank score. The race should take place on a dry track, which will limit the traps on the circuit.
« We’ll see tomorrow if I can take a turn on dry land, and we’ll see how it goes. I don’t think anyone has been able to do it so far. Let’s hope we can turn the page in this race after a Saturday where we scored zero points with both cars. Hopefully we can score some points with both tomorrow. »
