What was supposed to be a celebratory Mexican Grand Prix for Fernando Alonso turned into a major disappointment. The Spanish star began his four hundredth race in Formula 1 this past weekend, but had to retire early due to damage he sustained at the start. For Alonso, it’s just another DNF: “It always hurts.”
Alonso drove his four hundredth Grand Prix in Mexico, setting a new record and achieving a personal milestone. Unfortunately, the two-time world champion did not make it to the finish line. Debris from contact with other cars damaged his Aston Martin to such an extent that he had to withdraw from the race in the sixteenth lap. “I had a good start and wasn’t involved in all the commotion at the front,” Alonso later told Formula1.com.”But apparently, some debris had gotten into the front brake lines,” he added. “This caused the car to overheat excessively. It was virtually impossible to correct this, so we had to end the race prematurely – that’s just disappointing.” Fernando Alonso asserts that a DNF ‘always hurts’, regardless of how many Grands Prix you’ve already raced. “The number of races doesn’t matter much to me; not seeing the checkered flag is always painful,” he explained. “The fact that we weren’t very competitive this weekend makes it a bit easier.”
Unlucky Streak?
It seems that Fernando Alonso’s milestones are cursed. He also had to withdraw early from his three hundredth Grand Prix in 2018 and his two hundredth Grand Prix in 2013. His hundredth race – the 2007 Turkish GP – brought him more luck; he finished in third place for McLaren.
The fact that Alonso has once again failed to reach the finish line surprisingly doesn’t bother him much. “We’re here to compete,” he explained. “In a way, it’s better to retire the car if you’re not competitive anyway. Scoring points didn’t seem very likely. Hopefully, we’ll have better luck in the future and we’ll be able to score in the upcoming races and the next edition of the Mexican GP.”
