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Fernando Alonso still belongs in F1 after he expertly claimed a P6 finish at the 2022 F1 French GP while spoiling McLaren's party, according to former world champion, Jacques Villeneuve.
Starting in P7, Fernando Alonso was able to jump Lando Norris up in P5 on the opening lap. The veteran Spaniard was then instrumental in holding both McLaren's up to aid Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon's cause to great effect at the Safety Car restart after Charles Leclerc's crash on lap 18.
The two-time world champion invited pressure from Norris only to defend all throughout and force the Briton into using up his tires with what he called a chess match post race. Fernando Alonso said:
“I did 350 races, so I know what I’m doing! It was fun. The start was crucial, probably, to get ahead of Lando. I think [McLaren] have very similar pace, but to be in front of them in the first couple of laps was enough to control the race and to control the pace. I think we played the race like a chess game; we tried to position the McLaren’s close to us and try to have some clear air in front, so all in all…it was a good Sunday.”
Ocon got the better of Daniel Ricciardo to finish in P8 when the checkered flag fell, netting a total of 14 points with Alonso at Le Castellet (Circuit Paul Ricard). This allowed Alpine to leapfrog McLaren for fourth place in the World Constructors' Championship ahead of the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP.
In a column for Dutch publication Formule1.nl, Jacques Villeneuve took out time to laud Alonso's performance in France. The 1997 F1 world champion wrote:
“I would like to mention Fernando Alonso. The way he held up the McLarens and let them smoke their tires after which [Esteban] Ocon could still catch [Daniel] Ricciardo; that is experience and exactly why Alonso still belongs in Formula 1.”
While many have questioned whether Alonso's F1 seat should go to a younger rookie trying to break into the sport, the most experienced driver ever continues to defy critics.
Fernando Alonso and Alpine hoping to stay consistent after impressive 2022 F1 French GP showing
Fernando Alonso and Alpine are hoping to stay consistent in the second half of the season after impressing in France. The Spaniard has shown proper pace potential but has not had the best of luck on most race weekends in 2022.
After "El Plan" worked like a charm in France, Alonso emphasized the importance of having a race without any mishaps. The Spaniard said:
“We had to work through a lot of things in terms of the car balance this weekend, but we ended up finishing just behind the top-five positions, so a very solid race in the end and more points on the board for us. It shows that when we have a clean weekend like this one, then we can finish in the top-six positions. Hopefully we can keep up this level of consistency throughout the second half of the season and continue our momentum.”
Alonso was instrumental at the Hungaroring in 2021 when he held off Lewis Hamilton for a succession of laps to help Esteban Ocon land a win in an eventful race.
Heading into this year's edition, the Spaniard is P10 in the World Drivers' Championship standings with 37 points after 12 rounds of racing.
