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Lewis Hamilton won the Qatar Grand Prix by a comfortable margin, reducing the gap to championship rival Max Verstappen to just eight points with two races to go. While the duo have quite a few podiums between them, it was the first time they have shared the podium with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.
The Qatar Grand Prix podium finishers share a total of 336 podiums between them, with Lewis Hamilton having 180, Fernando Alonso 98, and Max Verstappen contributing his fair share with 58.
The Qatar Grand Prix was the most recent venue to host F1 for the first time, with the upcoming Saudi Arabia Grand Prix set to be another.
Fernando Alonso back on podium at Qatar Grand Prix
The two-time world champion is no stranger to podiums and intense battles, standing on the podium 97 times before finally getting number 98 at the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday evening. The Spaniard also starred alongside Lewis Hamilton as one of the two main drivers for McLaren in 2007, before leaving the team after a falling out.
For the 40-year old Alpine F1 driver, it had been seven years and 105 races since his last podium finish prior to Sunday at the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix. The double world champion also won the fan vote for "Driver of the Day". Alonso showed good form throughout the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.
Coincidentally, he also stood next to Mercedes and Red Bull F1 drivers on the 2014 Hungary Grand Prix podium. The veteran, who at the time raced for Ferrari, shared the podium with then Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton.
Fernando Alonso is currently 10th in the drivers' standings after the Qatar Grand Prix with a total of 77 points. Alpine F1 are still battling it out with Alpha Tauri and are currently fifth in the constructors' championship with 137 points.
