Fernando Alonso clarifies his condition after the injury
The Spanish Aston Martin driver, Fernando Alonso, raced in the Hungarian Grand Prix recovering from a back injury. Now, after almost a month of vacation, he returns to competition at the Dutch circuit of Zandvoort.
Fernando Alonso worried us all when Aston Martin reported just under a month ago that the 44-year-old Asturian driver would be absent from the first free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Fortunately, it didn't get worse and the back pain allowed him to complete the weekend in Budapest. So much so that Alonso even achieved his best result of the season: fifth in qualifying and fifth in the race.
"We are not fighting for the World Championship, so it's not like every result of the weekend is the end of the world for us"
What is Alonso's current injury status?
There is no doubt that the summer break has done wonders for Fernando Alonso, as it has allowed him to recover optimally. But, has it been enough for him to fully recover?
"It hasn't been an exciting summer in terms of crazy plans," revealed the veteran driver. "I was recovering from the back injury". That was the first part of the summer, the second part consisted of a bit of training and, really, relaxing a bit, so nothing exciting.
Thus, the injury that affected him at Hungaroring is now behind him, and Fernando Alonso is already thinking about finishing the remaining 10 Grand Prix in the best possible way. However, without high expectations.
"Another top 5 this season? It's hard to say", the Asturian asserts. "It was a surprise the pace we had in Budapest. A tenth and a half from pole position and then, fifth in the race. I think it was partly due to the characteristics of the circuit."
"I would like to think that it is possible, because the week before Hungary, we were very slow in Spa, so I think from now on it will depend on the circuit. Maybe there is a circuit in the 10 remaining races that will suit us a bit better and we will try not to miss the opportunity," reflects Fernando Alonso.
The challenge this weekend is Zandvoort, a complicated and technical circuit. Does it suit Aston Martin and their AMR25? "You never know," replies Fernando Alonso. "After Spa, we went to Hungary thinking, honestly, only about getting through Q1, because in Spa we had finished last. We were very cautious with our pace in Budapest and then we had a pleasant surprise."
"We cannot guarantee that Zandvoort will be good or bad, nor Monza or Singapore. We will take it race by race," reiterates the two-time F1 world champion. "Unfortunately, we are not fighting for the World Championship, so it's not like every result of the weekend is the end of the world for us."
"We try to do our best and score more points than our main competitors, but with a very relaxed and pragmatic approach every weekend," insists Fernando Alonso.
Fifth place is a goal, but...
Aston Martin has reacted after a horrible start to the championship and has positioned itself close to Williams, who is fifth in the constructors' championship. Is it possible to repeat the position of the last two seasons?
"It's a goal. We don't want to finish worse than in previous years. We have finished fifth in the constructors' championship for two years. That was the goal at the beginning of the year, to finish fifth. We started quite poorly and at one point we thought that fifth place would not be possible." the Aston Martin driver states.
Fernando Alonso admits that "now it seems to be a possibility again," but he doesn't want any misunderstandings: the goal is to win and that is not going to happen this year. "As I have said on other occasions, being fifth, sixth, or third, it doesn't matter. Here you either win or lose. This year we will not win the championship." They should take note in Silverstone before celebrating anything.
Fotos: Aston Martin F1
