The Brazilian GP weekend started with one Real Madrid fan playing soccer with a former Real Madrid star. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz played keepie-uppies with Ricardo Kaka. The Brazilian GP weekend ended with a Real Madrid fan receiving well-deserved appreciation from a present Real Madrid star. This time, it wasn’t Sainz and Kaka who stole the show. There was probably only one driver whom the Brazilian GP show belonged to, and that was Fernando Alonso. He may have supported Real Madrid his whole life, but it was time someone from his favorite club cheered him on too!

Interlagos almost never disappoints. Like it has been since 2021, this year’s edition of the Brazilian GP was a Sprint weekend, too. That gave everyone double the racing action. But more importantly, it gave Alonso double the opportunity to carry out some iconic Alonso moves. And who better than one of the best goalkeepers in the world to praise the Spanish Minister of Defence (and attack)?

Fernando Alonso ensured another Real Madrid and F1 crossover in Brazil

The Brazilian GP weekend was one Alonso likely won’t ever forget. The past couple of months have been tough for him and Aston Martin. After starting the season as the second-best car, the Silverstone outfit rapidly lost momentum, struggling to keep up in the development race. But in Interlagos, it looked like the team found its lost form as it locked out the second row for Sunday’s race.

After starting—and restarting—the race in P4, Alonso quickly got up to P3. he spent most of his race there, but he had Red Bull’s Sergio Perez for company, chasing him for the final podium place. With two laps to go, Perez got past the Spaniard, overcoming Alonso’s defensive masterclass. But that unleashed Alonso’s aggressive side, and the two-time champion snatched P3 from Perez by just 0.053s in a dash to the line—a photo-finish. It was his first podium in Brazil since 2013. It was his first podium in 2023 since the Dutch GP.

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Needless to say, Alonso was elated. He posted pictures from his celebrations on Instagram, captioning them, “Keep calm and carry on. 💪. We don’t give up. @astonmartinf1” He wasn’t the only one who was happy with the well-earned podium. It seemed like he gathered the entire Spanish soccer team posse to congratulate him. Barcelona’s Marcos Alonso wrote, “🔥🔥🔥” PSG’s Marco Asensio exclaimed, “Bestia!! 🔥” and Udinese’s Gerard Deulofeu wrote, “Thank you for today.” But the comment that took the cake was Real Madrid and Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois congratulating Alonso. “Grandeeeee🙌🙌🙌🔥🔥,” wrote Courtois.

EL PLAN: Fernando Alonso Shows His Fandom for Real Madrid After Their Win Over PSG

There’s no donut Courtois is a fan of Alonso’s, but he’s also a fan of the two-time champion’s 2007 teammate and rival. Well, at least of the rival’s venture, if not anything else.

Alonso’s 2007 teammate’s venture caught Courtois’ eye

Fresh off of winning two championships with Renault, Alonso shifted to McLaren in 2007. There, he was joined by the rookie, Lewis Hamilton. That year was when their rivalry started, and to date, it’s still going strong. But that’s beside the point. What is the point is that Hamilton has been a vegan since 2017. In 2019, he started Neat Burger, a restaurant chain that makes plant-based food more accessible to everyone. Starting out in London, UK, the restaurant already entered the US market with an outlet in New York.

Seeing the potential in the venture, Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio officially invested in it in 2022. Following that investment, Neat Burger’s valuation has gone up from $70 million to $100 million. This prompted Thibaut Courtois to explore his businessman side, and he—as part of a group of investors—invested $18 million more into the venture. With this new investment, Neat Burger plans to open more outlets in the US as well as in the UK.

Watch This Story: Does Fernando Alonso Believe He Can be a 3-time World Champion?

What are your thoughts on everything F1-related Thibaut Courtois has done recently?