A replay of Fernando Alonso’s opening lap in the Malaysia Grand Prix went viral this week.
Starting from the back he weaved around the backmarkers, effortlessly picking off car after car with the blessed acceleration that he would have given his left leg for last season.
During the Thursday Drivers’ Press Conference the first question off the books revolved around Fernando’s incredible form on the opening laps.
In the last five races he’s made up 29 places, although this has largely followed heavy grid penalties for power unit changes.
So how has he done it – risk taking or instinct?
“Well I think it’s a little bit of everything probably, and a little bit of luck. Sometimes you try to recover places and you try to chose a line into turn 1 – left or right – and you never know what is going to happening in front of you,” he answered.
“Over probably 16 years in Formula One you recover many, many places so it cannot only be only luck every single year, but doing a lot of PlayStation [helps] also. Starting last is good practice.”
Honda have made significant improvements to their power units, giving Fernando improved reliability and horsepower compared to last year.
If the development curve continues to trend upwards it could easily be Fernando and rookie Stoffel Vandoorne leaving the mid-field in their wake and challenging Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes for podiums.
Alonso received an updated power unit with improved reliability in Sepang, which could give him a racing advantage over mid-field competitors, most of whom are now focusing on development for next year’s numerous regulation changes.
“We want to be more competitive next year. A bigger step has been done from last year to this year, but we need another bigger step for next year, which is going from the last Q3 spots and some points to fighting for some podiums and wins,” Alonso said.
“It’s a question of time before we are able to win. Hopefully that’s… we are trying to make it as short as possible.”
Even when he was pressed on the downturn of Ferrari’s fortunes, Alonso took a deep breath and deflected the question back into diplomatic waters.
“They are struggling a little bit now. But yeah, I wish always the best to Ferrari. I will have always Ferrari in my heart so hopefully they can improve,” responded Fernando, before adding with good nature, “But thanks for asking me. It’s been a long time that they didn’t ask me about Ferrari, especially after they won in Malaysia last year.”
As usual Fernando performed admirably, despite being in the uncomfortable position of representing a team that has failed to deliver the car that his talent deserves.
It’s just too bad Lewis Hamilton wasn’t present during the press conference to hear it.
Rodney Gordon
Expert
Fernando handled himself excellently in the face of numerous sticky questions about the decisions of where to drive in his career and why/when Honda will return to the front of the grid during the Thursday press conference in Japan. Lewis' antics where about as far away from such a professional display as it gets, that's how it's relevant.
Rodney Gordon
Expert
Thanks for reading and listening Mark, it means a lot! Fernando seems to be showing the rest of the grid that the car underneath you isn't as important as your approach and attitude behind the wheel - setting a great example.
Simoc
Guest
What relevance does Lewis Hamilton have to your article? McLaren absolutely need to start winning next season. They have been nothing short of woeful with their Honda motor. But I expect Renault will grab themselves a better performing driver than they currently have and put themselves in the mix next season to. However McLaren have the drivers and not the package. They need to improve their act considerably. Alonso has to stick with them now and win himself another WDC. I would think Hondas performance has been embarrassing for them to date, and they need wins to save face. And F1 needs all the non Merc teams to put up a better fight.
Mark Young
Roar Guru
Hi Rod, just to let you know how much I have been enjoying the podcasts. I just listened to the Malaysian GP edition while doing some building today. Excellent! Really good stuff. Nice to see you writing about Fernando and his rocket starts. I recall back in that bonkers 2008 Belgian GP he went from 14th to 3rd on the final lap after the team rolled to dice and put him on wets. He is an outrageous talent, I would argue the best on the grid. In the post Michael era, Lewis, Sebastien and Fernando have all won multiple titles but I would argue it is Alonso who has truly been the big man on the grid. I would dearly love to see him and Lewis in the same team again for another season. Enjoy the race this weekend!