There was a number of impressive performances in an action-packed race at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Force India recorded their best result of the season as Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez finished fourth and fifth around a circuit the team specialises at.
Lewis Hamilton recovered from 21st on the grid, following an accumulative 55-place grid penalty for new engine parts, to take third.
Those results came despite Sunday’s race being a battle for both the drivers and teams as people seemed to be colliding and retiring left, right and centre. At one point people were even questioning how many cars would actually finish the race!
It can’t be denied that every driver that crossed the finish line worked hard to get there. Having said that, one driver stood out to me more than others at Spa: Fernando Alonso.
Alonso is one of the greatest and most experienced drivers on the current Formula One grid but he hasn’t had an easy season.
Challenges have been put in front of him on many occasions this season, in fact, in qualifying the Spaniard didn’t even manage to set a lap time before he stopped his car on the track. At the same time, his teammate, Jenson Button managed to fight his was into tenth place, earning him a place in Q3.
After using a sixth engine component and not setting a qualifying time, Alonso was left with a mammoth 60-place grid penalty and a certain start from the back of the grid in 22nd place. It’s a shame to say that if this had occurred before summer break, people could’ve written off Alonso for the race. However, in true Alonso-style, he fought back.
By the checkered flag, Alonso finished in seventh place, making up a huge 15 places! After reading that it’s unfair to say that McLaren hasn’t used summer break wisely. It’s evidence that the team has continued to make incredible progress.
He fought through every lap of the race yesterday holding both Williams cars behind him, something he couldn’t have done a couple of weeks ago. He seized every opportunity that came his way and gained wherever he could as his experience definitely played a huge part in the success of his race.
Congratulations on your incredible drive, Fernando! I hope we get to see you battle again as it was a pleasure to see you do so.
