The race in Abu Dhabi is yet to take place, but the final race weekend of the year is already a roller coaster for Fernando Alonso. The Aston Martin driver was lacking speed during the free practice sessions, and voiced his complaints to his team. According to Alonso, the FOM was pleased with the driver’s negative comments. The commercial owner would reportedly like to portray the Spaniard as a ‘grumpy man’.
Fernando Alonso started the final race weekend of the year trailing the leaders, finishing eleventh and seventeenth respectively in the first two free practice sessions. During the final free practice on Saturday, the situation did not improve, and the Spaniard expressed his frustration to Aston Martin over the radio. “The worst car ever, and the worst preparation for traffic ever,” said the two-time world champion after the session. “Next time, I’ll do the out-lap myself.
“The traffic was terrible,” Fernando Alonso later told the media. “It was a frustrating build-up.” According to the Spaniard, his outburst seemed more intense than it actually was, because the FOM, the commercial owner of F1, likes to highlight negative comments. “As usual, some comments are good, some comments are bad, but the FOM has this focus on me, on my negative comments.”
‘Grumpy guy’
However, Alonso doesn’t seem to mind this focus from the FOM, “it’s their job,” but he does feel that he is often portrayed by the company as the ‘grumpy man’. “Yesterday I also had a few positive things to say, but as I said, FOM, they need to sell that I’m the grumpy man, the grumpy guy,” explains the Aston Martin driver. “They’ve been trying for years and they won’t succeed.”
The Spaniard’s problems during the free practice sessions ultimately did not foreshadow the qualification. Alonso reached Q3 and qualified higher than Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez. “We seemed to have found the right momentum with the car in the qualification and I’m glad I get to start eighth tomorrow,” says Alonso. “The car felt much better.”
