Fernando Alonso was starting the race in third place, as Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen were given grid penalties. Hence, he was hoping to have a good race, and he did by stealing second place from Pierre Gasly as soon as the lights went out.

However, a few laps around the Losali International Circuit, Alonso was trailing behind his rivals. But the drama at the Qatar Grand Prix just escalated from there, as Bottas suffered a horrible puncture.

Valtteri Bottas puts on a firework show for Fernando Alonso

The Finn hadn’t pitted yet unlike his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, and paid the price. Bottas suffered a horrible puncture which saw him go off into the gravel trap but did manage to get his car back on track.

But, the Finn was struggling, and soon had to deal with Alonso. The Spaniard was behind the Mercedes driver as sparks began to erupt from Bottas’ Mercedes.

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This saw Alonso being hit by the sparks that Bottas’s car generated. Nevertheless, Alonso soon overtook the Finn to steal his place in the race.

Watch Story: From Shocking Lewis Hamilton Crash to Ferrari Pit Stop Blunder: Most Sensational Moments in Bahrain GP History

Pirelli did warn the teams about how long the tires will last at the Qatar GP

Tire manufacture, Pirelli did warn the teams about how long can their tires last for Sunday’s race. They had stated that they could last at least thirty laps, but Mercedes kept  Bottas on track for thirty-five laps.

The Silver Arrows paid heavily for this, as Bottas suffered a massive puncture, and was called into the pits to get his front wing and tires changed. This mistake saw the Finn fall from third on the grid to fourteenth.

With the title fight with Red Bull getting even more intense, the Brackley-based squad will be hoping to make fewer errors in the upcoming races to secure another constructor’s championship this season.

Why Are Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas & Carlos Sainz Under Threat of a Grid Penalty for Qatar GP?