Fernando Alonso claims it’s not the first time he helps out a teammate, however it’s the first time his radio of doing so is broadcasted, as it seems Formula 1 is not vilifying him for a change.
During the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso radioed his team informing them that a certain brake-balance setting he was using is working fine for him, suggesting his teammate Lance Stroll tries it out, something that was seen as bizarre by many knowing the Spaniard has not always been the helpful kind of teammate previously.
Alonso admitted on several occasions that he is been vilified in F1, but he is far from being a saint with his inner-team antiques and politicking well documented over the years, especially when things weren’t going his way, but that’s why we all love the Spaniard, for his character, aside from his brilliant driving of course.
Asked about helping his teammate over race weekend, Alonso told Motorsport.com: “We talk a lot during the weekend from Friday, already from Thursday, what we both felt here in the past, also in the strategy meeting, what we will do, what will be the plan for each of the cars and things like that.
Stroll is the future of Aston Martin
“So if we feel something in the car during the race that we didn’t speak about, and there is something new that can help the other car, normally we communicate with the team,” he added.
“And yeah, it has been like this. I know that I will be in the sport for a few more years, but not many, and he will lead the team for the next 10 or 15 years. So I hope I can help Lance as much as I can in the next few years,” the double F1 Champion maintained.
With Alonso not nearing the the twilight of his career at the age of 41, some might think his approach might be different especially when having a younger teammate like Stroll, but he insists he has always been a helpful teammate.
“Yeah, I had in the past, but only some of my radios were broadcast!” Alonso insisted. “But not this one. For whatever reason now F1 is kind to me.”
Despite Alonso’s assistance, Stroll lost the rear end of his AMR23, which allowed Lewis Hamilton to overtake him for sixth, the Canadian crossing the line in seventh, Alonso fourth, just one second off the podium.