Alonso Hails 'Best Fight Ever'
San Marino Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso has hailed his thrilling duel with Michael Schumacher as one of the most exciting of his career after holding off the World Champion for his third win of the season
Alonso's Renault was clearly no match for Ferrari's F2005, which was two seconds per lap quicker at certain stages of the race, but the Spaniard kept his cool to claim a brilliant victory.
"It was probably one of the best fights I have had," said Alonso. "I knew that Michael was more than one second (per lap) faster than me, so my only chance was to hold him up in the middle of the corner and get on the throttle earlier to get a bit of space on the straights.
"It worked well and we had two or three corners where we were very close, but I was doing my maximum. The tyres and the car performed perfectly."
Alonso's difficulties in holding off Schumacher were compounded by the fact that the pair were closing on backmarkers towards the end of the race - and he did not want to risk making a mistake lapping them.
"I had the Red Bull Racing and Williams cars in front and I was hoping not to catch them because maybe I would lose a bit of downforce and Michael would catch me. So in the corners I would brake more than normal to protect and tyres and keep the gap."
When asked whether he ever considered sacrificing his lead in a bid to safeguard his Championship hopes, Alonso declared: "No! Always I was hoping for the win and after Kimi retired I only had one picture for the race - I was winning. I was ready to fight for the last laps and really wanted the victory here."
Alonso Wins Heart-Stopping Race at Imola
Schumacher Laments Qualifying Error
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Why the future is bright for the British GP
It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come
Could mixed fortunes for F1's leading Brits turn around at Silverstone?
For the first time in many years, none of the local racers starts among the favourites for the British Grand Prix. But George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could have reasons for optimism
Verstappen exclusive: Why F1’s champion isn’t fazed by Silverstone return
Max Verstappen is the world’s number one racing driver… and he’s determined to keep it that way. Speaking exclusively to GP Racing's OLEG KARPOV, the Red Bull driver explains why he’s relishing the 2022 championship battle with Charles Leclerc – and why he’s not worried about returning to Silverstone, the scene of the biggest accident of his career last year
Why Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar can help its F1 team
On Tuesday, Red Bull laid out its plans to develop and build a new hypercar - the RB17 - penned by Adrian Newey. As the project itself sates Newey as a creative outlet, it also offers Red Bull's Formula 1 team a number of new and exciting avenues to pursue
What to expect from Mercedes as F1 returns to Silverstone
OPINION: The British Grand Prix is a home event for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with their Mercedes team based just a few miles away too. But there’s another reason why the Silver Arrows squad is eager to arrive at Silverstone this weekend, which may help it fix its remaining problems with its 2022 Formula 1 challenger
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow