Is Fernando Alonso doing too much?

Facts : Started from the back of the grid due to an engine change on his Alpine A521, Fernando Alonso had gone back to the points gate when he came across the Alfa Romeo by Antonio Giovinazzi and Kimi Räikkönen. What followed were acrimonious rag-tag fights where the Spaniard did not hide his frustration at what he considered to be “double standards” in enforcing respect for the limits of the route. Overtaken by Raïkkönen on the outside of Turn 1, the double world champion demanded that the Finn give him back the position because he had all 4 wheels outside the white line at the time of the maneuver. The race commissioners did not flinch. A little later, it was Alonso who overtook leaving the limits of the track, on Giovinazzi. This time the race management recommended that he return his property to the Italian, which the pilot Alpine said without objecting. Ironic and biting, Alonso is one of the great entertainers of the season but isn't he still doing a little too much?

YES, by Julien Billiotte 

Fernando, Fernando, oh Fernando! The double Spanish world champion is undoubtedly the driver who knows the regulations best, down to the smallest articles, however technical and obscure they may be! But the pilot Alpine should know that the referee is always right, including when he is wrong, which was not the case last Sunday in Austin. Certainly, Kimi Räikkönen (Alfa Romeo) found himself with all four wheels outside the white line when overtaking his old rival at the top of turn 1 but hadn't the Finn been friendly pushed towards the outside by this other old veteran who is the proud Iberian? It is precisely because there is a fine line between these two scenarios – stopping a competitor off-track and completing an overtake outside the limits of the route – that the commissioners found nothing to complain about. As race director Michael Masi explained after the GP, this is not a completely binary situation but rather an incident which leaves room for interpretation. Unsurprisingly, Alonso immediately demanded that the place be returned to him in a tone which suggested that it was his almost by divine right. Alpine assures that his driver simply wanted to lose as little time as possible because he also hoped to overtake the other Alfa Romeo, that of Antonio Giovinazzi. In his mind, Alonso therefore wanted the commissioners to rule as quickly as possible (in his favor naturally!) so as not to be left behind.

Annoyed by the stewards' (non-)decision, the fiery Asturian went to shoehorn Giovinazzi and got the better of the Italian by biting roughly off-piste. “Yeeessss!” » he then exclaimed, as if he didn't care about making a clean overtake and was only looking to prove that he was right to the race direction. Alonso is an immense champion driven by an unquenchable thirst for victory and endowed with an extraordinary competitive spirit, in everything he does. Friday evening at COTA, the Spaniard was on the basketball court installed in the paddock challenging his press officer in a basket competition where the spirit of Coubertin did not really float! This is what makes the Taurus of Oviedo (Spain) so charming, but we can't help but think that he sometimes remains his best enemy. Believing himself to be constantly persecuted, he sometimes has a tendency to see red and get into trouble on his own, at the risk of scuttling himself. But we can never take away his extraordinary panache which, combined with his intact talent, makes him one of the great men of his sport. 

NO, by Alexis Plisson

Before retiring due to a rear wing problem, Fernando Alonso put on a show in the middle of the pack in this United States Grand Prix. Fighting several times with the two Alfa Romeo drivers, the Spaniard was rewarded with some daring, even spectacular overtaking, before having to surrender his positions several times. An arbitration on the part of the commissioners that he sometimes accepted, but often discussed. “Three similar maneuvers, three different decisions…” said the double world champion ironically after the race. First with Kimi Räikkönen then with Antonio Giovinazzi, the Bull of Asturias and his overtaking made us forget for a few laps the battle for first place between the two championship leaders.

In a Grand Prix closer to the soporific than the spectacular, I want to say: “Thank you Fernando!”. Yes, thank you for energizing our Sunday evening and drawing attention to the fight for mid-table, which is too often forgotten. And thank you for showing panache in a race where we talked almost only about strategy. This season, it is this offensive attitude on the track which allows him to hold his own against young drivers, like his battle with Verstappen in Russia. And from an accounting point of view, he clearly compares well with his young teammate, Esteban Ocon, which he is ahead of by around ten points. 

With these stories of places given up and complaints on the radio, the Spaniard regrets that the Formula 1 “did not give a good image” to the spectators present on site. This statement reflects the character, generous! Fernando Alonso never does too much. He is one of those people who are whole by nature, never in half measures. And that does a lot of good in an era where appearances and ready-made phrases reign supreme. The Spaniard leaves no one indifferent with his sharp tongue and his strong character, and that's a good thing. And since the results follow, despite the reluctance of former drivers like Mark Webber or Nico Rosberg about his advanced age (40 years), why would he change who he is?