Interlagos is no stranger to final lap thrillers. Remember how Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock on the final lap of the 2007 Brazilian GP to clinch his first championship? Or the dash to the line between Hamilton and Pierre Gasly in 2019 for P2? Every time Formula 1 visits Interlagos, everyone is greeted with surprises. This time out, the surprise came in the form of Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin’s revival, capped off with a podium courtesy of the two-time champion’s last-lap heroics.

Sergio Perez and Aston Martin have had pretty similar seasons. Both started 2023 very well, but as the year progressed, their form took a dip, with a resurgence getting less likely with every race that passed. Fortunately for both of them, that much-awaited resurgence finally came in Interlagos, but Perez came up just short.

Fernando Alonso ‘embraced’ his podium finish at the Brazilian GP

After a series of tough weekends, the Brazilian GP was a ray of hope for Aston Martin. The Silverstone outfit introduced upgrades in Austin, and for two races, it tried to understand them. While things didn’t work out for them in Mexico, they sure did in Brazil. The weekend started with a second-row lockout for Aston Martin—Lance Stroll in P3, and Alonso in P4. After 71, action-packed laps of the Brazilian GP, Alonso secured his first podium since the Dutch GP right after the summer break, and boy, did he do it in style.

After settling himself in P3 for almost the entirety of the race, he had Perez for company in the final few laps. While he seemed like he had everything under control, Perez was gaining on him every lap. In the penultimate one, the Red Bull driver finally overtook Alonso. Although it may have seemed like everything was lost for Alonso, he fought back in the final lap and retook P3. That battle was a drag race to the line, with only 0.053s separating them.

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Following his podium, Alonso said in a post-race interview, “Very aggressive moves, a lot of respect, and I’m happy it was with Checo, and we could put on a good show.” Perez echoed the Spaniard’s comments, saying, “It was a great fight with Fernando. I don’t think with a lot of drivers you can do these types of maneuvers. It was really tight from beginning to end, and it was super enjoyable.” If their verbal appreciation and respect weren’t enough, they engaged in a heartwarming embrace when Alonso was talking to Viaplay, per a post on Reddit.

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As much as this podium finish and fight increased Alonso’s respect for Perez, it also increased his belief in Aston Martin.

Fernando Alonso has restored his faith in Aston Martin

Coming into the Brazilian GP, all the talk around Fernando Alonso was his possible switch to Red Bull. Who was he rumored to replace? Sergio Perez. With these rumors going around, Alonso ensured he made sure Aston Martin knew he wasn’t going anywhere. Despite the underwhelming results recently, he hasn’t lost faith in his team. He said, “We cannot forget where we’ve come from and what the project is about. So, I’m very proud of this season so far.”

Following the Brazilian GP, he reinstated this belief in Aston Martin. “It was tough, the last few months. We had some difficulties in finding the pace and also with the car’s direction. But it seems that now, we’ve understood a few things about the setup, a few things also in the car. [The podium] is for the team because they’ve been putting a lot of work to understand this package and today’s result is a boost for everyone,” he said. With just two races to go in 2023, and Las Vegas coming up next, “Now, we cannot wait to go to Vegas. So this is a good energy.”

WATCH THIS STORY | Does Fernando Alonso Believe He Can Be a 3-time World Champion?

What was your take on the battle between Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez? Do you think Alonso and Aston Martin can reclaim P4 in the Constructors’ Championship?