Alonso vs Perez in Brazil: the F1 fight other drivers can learn from

F1

Fernando Alonso narrowly won his duel with Sergio Perez at the Sao Paulo GP — not that you'd have known from the joy on both faces. Their elation is too rare in modern F1, says Damien Smith, echoing a GP-winner of the past

Sergio Perez right behind Fernando Alonso as they head to the finish line at the 2023 Sao Paulo GP

Alonso fends off Perez in the "great" Sao Oaulo fight

Grand Prix Photo

The most heart-warming scene from Interlagos? Sergio Perez putting a hand on Fernando Alonso’s shoulder post-race to exchange a quick ‘great race’ following their terrific scrap in the closing stages of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. One had gained a podium, the other had lost one – but in that moment it didn’t matter. Both were grinning ear to ear and were relishing the natural high of a dose of good old-fashioned pure motor racing.

I happened to speak to John Watson the day after. He’d spotted the moment between Checo and Alonso too. “It gives me hope for F1!” he said. Just the sort of reaction and interaction he’d have enjoyed during his era, and one that perhaps we don’t see so often these days.

“A great fight – very fair and to the limit,” said Perez afterwards. “This is something a lot of drivers can learn from… It’s how it should be done. I’m on the wrong side and ended up losing, but it’s fine because it was a great fight.”

Alonso admitted he thought his chance was gone when the Red Bull finally nailed a pass into Turn 1 on the penultimate lap. But of course, this being Alonso he refused to accept defeat. The 42-year-old kept probing and that led Checo to miss the Turn 1 apex “by one metre”, according to the Spaniard, at the start of the last lap. Then he took his chance on the run into Turn 4, but Perez didn’t exactly roll over. They had to trust each other in those moments.

Fernando Alonso defends against Sergio Perez in 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Aggressive but clean: Perez puts the pressure on Alonso

Florent Gooden/DPPI

“A clean battle. Very aggressive, but always a clean battle with Checo,” was Alonso’s assessment. “He has a very good record of finishing races and battling hard, keeping both cars on track.”

Inevitably the defeat will twinge for Perez. Hell, to miss out by 0.053sec always does! Add in the pressure and speculation he’d faced all weekend about his future, and a podium would have been perfectly timed. As it was, he’d still answered some of the criticism he’d faced (including from this columnist among the many). But how typical it should be this guy who bested him, in the wake of a lurid rumour triggered by an innocuous and vague social media post that Alonso might replace Perez at Red Bull next year. The two-time champion reacted with what seemed to be genuine anger to that one as he batted it away.

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There was added poignancy, too, that the pair should find themselves in a conjoined ‘hard but fair’ battle on the same weekend Alonso and old foe Esteban Ocon should collide in odd circumstances during qualifying for the Saturday sprint race. You’ll recall how the Aston Martin was touring through Turn 3 when the Alpine clipped its front left and slammed into the barrier on the outside.

Ocon branded Alonso a “f**king idiot” in the heat of the moment, and didn’t exactly temper that view after a joint trip to the stewards. It was “not true” that he’d lost control, claimed the fiery Frenchman. The crossed-up moment on the kerbs was merely a “correction” – but even so, it seemed fatuous to say the accident wouldn’t have happened if Alonso hadn’t been there. How exactly did he expect the green car to vanish? Where exactly was he supposed to be? Yes, Alonso appeared to move his steering wheel slightly left in the moment, but there was plenty of room on the inside – had Ocon not required more because of his “correction.”

“Yes, I heard what that guy said,” responded Alonso, conspicuously avoided his ex-team-mate’s name. Yet another example added to the roll-call of drivers for whom the term ‘mate’ can never be used accurately just because they shared a garage.

“He’s still very immature and hasn’t changed his way of seeing things,” snapped Alonso. “But hey, there are other things that don’t change either. He came out behind me like last year and stayed there, like last year.”

Meow. But in an increasingly controlled and vanilla world, it’s again refreshing to see a spark between two drivers – as long as it doesn’t fan flames that get out of hand.

Fernando Alonso smiles on the podium after 2023 Sao Paulo GP

Sao Paulo brought success – as well as criticism from former team-mate Ocon

Aston Martin

It’s a coincidence both examples should involve Alonso, yet at the same time hardly a surprise. The guy always tends to stoke emotion, in one way or the other! Of course, under the microscope of the modern era, a feud is manna for clicks and views – but the Alonso/Perez exchange was the one I’d prefer to remember. Echoes perhaps of how René Arnoux responded to the most celebrated duel of them all, and one that was far more on the edge – and arguably a degree or two over it – compared to what we saw in Brazil on Sunday.

I once asked Arnoux to reflect on Dijon 1979 and F1’s most famous third place, in the wake of his duel with Gilles Villeneuve. “Dijon, I’ve said before, was only possible between Gilles and me because he was my best friend in F1 and I was his,” said the little Frenchman, between mouthfuls of an English hamburger that was never going to be as rare as he wanted it… “I had a lot of respect for him, and he had a lot for me. It was dangerous at that speed and Dijon was narrow, it was not easy. He had a big problem with the tyres and I had a big problem with the fuel pressure. And I knew I had this difficulty, but I tried to finish second and not third. Dijon has a big bend at the top of the circuit and my engine would stop for two seconds, then come back again! At the flag the difference was too big to pass, even with the turbocharger. I try, I try, I try, but…

From the archive

“A lot of people still speak to me about Dijon. Someone stopped me in Paris and said it was the best duel in F1. ‘Do you want to see it on my phone?’ he asked. ‘No, I know it very well!’ I replied…”

On Monday, Wattie recalled that back in those days he thought nothing about popping into a rival team to catch up with a mate. No phones then to worry about. F1 was free and easy compared to now, and he can’t help but wonder if the “subjugation” modern F1 drivers face in the modern era thwarts not only some of the enjoyment they can take from a grand prix weekend, but also the relationships they have with each other.

Clearly, there are still friendships, as Martin Brundle noted recently, more now than at any recent time he can remember. But given the intrusive scrutiny those in the public eye must always be aware of, we rarely catch a glimpse of genuine camaraderie. Most is kept strictly behind closed doors, because it has to be. As Wattie said: “Maybe there is some humanity and camaraderie still left in F1. But f**k me, you have to look for it!”

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