Alonso praises Aston Martin’s cornering despite 12th in Brazil

Fernando Alonso finished 12th in Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix, outside the points, but left Interlagos encouraged by the Aston Martin’s feel. He said it was “the best race for the car feeling today” and called the car “phenomenal in the corners.”

Alonso qualified inside the top 10 for the first time this season during Saturday’s wet session. He stayed high in the order through Sunday’s opening stint before dropping back, but still overtook Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari on merit.

In the final five laps, Alonso said, he was still in the mix with the two Mercedes on intermediate tyres despite being a lap down. He also noted how much the Aston Martin lost on the straights.

That performance followed a difficult Mexico City Grand Prix, where power-unit problems forced both Aston Martins to retire early. Lance Stroll also retired in Brazil with an ERS issue, his eighth DNF in the last 10 Grands Prix. Alonso’s 12th place brought no points, and Aston Martin remained 10th in the standings, five points behind Williams.