Fernando Alonso claims his Dutch GP Turn One maneuver as ‘overtake of the month’

Fernando Alonso made a double overtake on the first lap of the Dutch GP.

Fernando Alonso claims his Dutch GP Turn One maneuver as ‘overtake of the month’

Fernando Alonso (image via IMAGO)

Fernando Alonso finished runner-up in the 2023 Dutch GP. The two-time world champion started from fifth on the grid but quickly made up places on the first lap. Eventually, Alonso even had the chance to battle with Max Verstappen for the race lead. However, the 43-year-old could only manage second place. Now, the Spanish driver has shared his views on his lap one overtake.

Alonso made a move on fellow countryman Carlos Sainz at Turn 1. The 43-year-old managed to pass the Ferrari driver on the turn three banking. Moreover, the two-time world champion’s ambitious racing line allowed him to jump George Russell and Alex Albon, who had taken a safer approach. As such, the 43-year-old overtook multiple cars at the race start.

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The Aston Martin driver revealed that he was aware of drivers taking a less risky approach due to the overcast conditions. As such, Alonso decided to move and overtook cars with his stellar double overtake. The 43-year-old claimed it to be the best overtake for the month. He said, as reported by Motorsports.com, “Everyone would be a little bit cautious in Turn 3 with the grip level… I thought about the inside line… we overtook those two cars. Definitely, that should be the overtake of the month, again. I hope.”

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Fernando Alonso had practiced this move in Free Practice

2023 Dutch GP start (image via Motorsport.com0
2023 Dutch GP start (image via Motorsport.com)

Such an incredible maneuver by the two-time world champion did not happen without preparation. Fernando Alonso revealed that during wet conditions on Friday, he had experimented with different racing lines to determine the one with the most grip. This enabled the Spaniard to prepare for taking the inside line on the race start on Sunday with similar conditions.

The two-time world champion explained, “It was FP1 or FP2, it was wet, and in one of the out-laps I let a few cars go on the normal racing line and I found a lot of grip on the inside casually, by just letting people go. So, I kept it in my head, all the time, all the weekend, in case it was wet.” Certainly, this played a major role in Alonso’s stellar drive to the podium in the race.

Thus, Fernando Alonso reckons that his move at the race start deserved to be the best overtake of the month. The Spanish driver managed to get more grip on the inside line and overtook two cars at the race start. Alonso showcased his experience and talent at Zandvoort as the 43-year-old managed to keep it clean throughout this ambitious move. Fans would be looking forward to seeing more such overtakes by the Aston Martin driver in the coming rounds.

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