“We got a bit lucky” – Fernando Alonso reacts to Aston Martin’s best weekend since Austin GP. Fernando Alonso scored points in both the Sprint and main race in Qatar.

7: the ‘perfect’ number

In the days leading up to the Qatar Grand Prix, with the disappointment of Las Vegas still fresh, Fernando Alonso had been extremely candid: “Arriving in Qatar and expecting to be among the top six or seven is completely illogical.” Yet, at Lusail, the two-time world champion delivered two races finishing in seventh place: the Sprint (the last of the season) and the full Sunday race.

An admittedly wrong prediction from Alonso, which he acknowledged shortly after the Qatar GP, marking his first points finish since Austin: “Two points yesterday and six today exceeded our expectations for this weekend,” he admitted. “After the early Safety Car, we opted for the two-stop strategy like everyone else. Tonight, we didn’t have the pace to fight at the front. We had a bit of luck with the DRS train of cars and the difficulty of overtaking here. We were also a bit fortunate with the spin mid-race, because on another track I might have ended up in the gravel. The points are a welcome boost in the battle for the Constructors’ Championship as we head to Abu Dhabi.” – the former Ferrari driver pointed out at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Eight points overall

Fernando Alonso’s eight points allow Aston Martin to maintain seventh place in the Constructors’ standings, while closing in on the Racing Bulls, now 12 points ahead of the Silverstone-based team. The weekend was much tougher for teammate Lance Stroll: “Today we started 18th and finished 17th,” he commented. “It was difficult to gain positions on this track, so we tried a different strategy, aiming for an undercut to recover ground later in the race in case of another Safety Car, which unfortunately never came. Now we look ahead to Abu Dhabi in a week and hope to be more competitive.”