“P2 was gone,” Fernando Alonso admits he nearly accepted defeat to Lewis Hamilton after a slow start at the Canadian GP

After a slow start at the Canadian GP, Fernando Alonso believed he lost second place to Lewis Hamilton

“P2 was gone,” Fernando Alonso admits he nearly accepted defeat to Lewis Hamilton after a slow start at the Canadian GP

Lewis Hamilton (Image credit: The independent) and Fernando Alonso (Image credit: El Confidencial)

After starting the Canadian GP in P2, Fernando Alonso was overtaken at the start by Lewis Hamilton in P3. Hamilton kept that position until the 22nd lap, when the Spaniard regained his second-place position. However, the Aston Martin driver revealed he was sure that ‘P2 was gone’ after Hamilton’s blistering start.

Fernando Alonso told the media that he initially found the race challenging. Losing a position initially made him think securing second place might be impossible, requiring him to focus on competitors like George Russell and the Ferrari drivers. However, they eventually overtook Hamilton and had a slight speed advantage during that final phase of the race.

“I think it has been a tough race from the beginning. When we lost a place at the start, I thought that maybe that was already gone, P2, and I would have to concentrate on the guys behind George and the Ferraris maybe…But then, yeah, we were able to overtake Lewis, and we had a little bit more pace in that part of the race,” Alonso told the media after the race.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton ‘shockingly’ reveals why he couldn’t overtake Fernando Alonso for P2 at the 2023 Canadian GP

Despite imminent setbacks, Fernando Alonso secures second place against Lewis Hamilton

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Fernando Alonso at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix podium (Image credit: PlanetF1)

On lap 22 of the Canadian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso surged ahead of former teammate Lewis Hamilton, establishing a significant lead. Given the pace advantage Aston Martin has over Mercedes, Alonso’s AMR23 was all set to come home in second position. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was cruising in the lead.

However, according to Car 14’s team radio, Alonso was asked to lift and coast to manage a problem. In the final stint, however, Hamilton started closing the gap between Aston Martin. With Hamilton being on medium compound tires, he gave up his chase for P2. The two-time world champion was able to overcome the setbacks and comfortably clinch his eighth podium of the season.

Alonso’s brilliant 2023 season has positioned him third in the drivers’ standings with 117 points. He is only nine points behind a struggling Sergio Perez. Aston Martin is P3 in the constructors’ standings, with the majority of points scored by the Spaniard. Fernando Alonso’s teammate Lance Stroll has not stood on the podium this year.

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