F1 News: Fernando Alonso Opens Up About Painful Health Scare On Bumpy Interlagos Circuit

Saajan Jogia | Nov 5, 2024

Oct 18, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team driver Fernando Alonso (14) of Team Spain walks through the paddock area before practice for the 2024 US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso opened up about the intense back pain he endured during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, attributing it to the track’s bumps and, primarily, the porpoising issues on his AMR24 F1 car. Despite the discomfort, the two-time world champion pushed through to finish the race as a gesture of gratitude toward his mechanics, who had worked tirelessly to repair the car following his qualifying crash.

Following the Grand Prix, Alonso was visibly drained, leaning heavily on his car's halo in pain and exhaustion. A mechanic approached to offer comfort with a reassuring hug. Reflecting on the ordeal, Alonso admitted his condition worsened throughout the race but maintained that he never considered retiring from it.

Alonso finished 14th after a tough race marked by rain and multiple crashes. Near the end, despite his pain, Alonso revealed his reasons for pushing through to the finish. He said on the team radio:

“I will finish the race for the mechanics.

“They did a very good job today. But my back is hurting, man. This bouncing is not normal.”

Fernando Alonso finishing the race despite the intense back pains, it looks rough, hopefully he recovers well during the break 🥺pic.twitter.com/jMlDUOPmq0

— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) November 3, 2024

However, after the Brazilian Grand Prix, Alonso went on to explain the situation in detail, suggesting he would've voluntarily retired from the Grand Prix if it wasn't for the mechanics who got the car ready in a short time frame after Sunday's postponed qualifying session. He told the media:

“There was a lot of bouncing, a lot of porpoising in the second half of the race.

“I don't know why, but it was a tough race. We were out of the points.

“I think in any other circumstances, probably I would have stopped. But the mechanics did an incredible job before the race to put the car ready on the grid, so I had to finish it for them.”

Alonso recognized that many in his home country were enduring far greater hardships due to severe flooding, dedicating his race performance as a tribute to them. His discomfort was further intensified by an intestinal infection he had battled just before the Interlagos race. He added:

“It was painful, for sure. The lead-up to this race, it was a lot of preparation from my side, a lot of checks, a lot of work, a lot of physio and doctors in order to come here in Brazil.

“So it was a lot of effort from everybody: the same effort as the mechanics put today.

“It was not comfortable in the car. But there are people worse than me, also in Valencia, we have these terrible images. And people struggling. So I had to struggle a couple of laps for everybody.”

The 43-year-old driver then pointed to a brake problem on his car, that even his teammate Lance Stroll faced. He explained:

“I think Lance had the brake problem in the formation lap, and I had the brake issue after all the restarts, where all the brake balance goes completely rearwards.

“It was like braking with a hand brake.

“So all in all it was a nightmare out there. We need to get better for the next three.”