Alonso finishes P8 and Stroll P12 for season-best result in Malaysia
Sepang International CircuitThe Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Round 16 of the Formula 1 season, took place at Sepang International Circuit and saw the team secure their best results of the year.
Heavy rain before the start delayed proceedings, and the start procedure was suspended after several cars encountered software issues during the first formation lap.
The race eventually got under way at 4:33pm local time, 93 minutes later than originally scheduled, with all cars leaving the pit lane behind the Safety Car (SC). After two laps behind the SC, the cars lined up on their original starting grid positions, and the race resumed with a standing start on Lap 3. Several drivers, including Lance Stroll, switched to intermediate tyres immediately beforehand and started from the pit lane.
Starting from P12 on medium tyres, Fernando Alonso went through Turn 1 in P13 before overtaking Lando Norris (McLaren) at Turn 2. However, the intermediate runners had stronger pace on the wet track, and cars behind began closing rapidly from around Turn 7. Stroll passed Alonso at Turn 9, and Alonso crossed the control line in P17.
The battle for position continued in the difficult track conditions. On Lap 4, Alonso overtook Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), who was on soft tyres, before Turn 4 to move up to P16. On Lap 7, he was passed by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who had switched to intermediate tyres, on the short straight between Turns 8 and 9.
The SC was deployed on Lap 9 after a car stopped in the gravel, and racing resumed on Lap 13. At the final corner that lap, Alonso dived to the inside of Sergio Perez (Cadillac), then used the tow on the main straight before moving to the inside approaching Turn 1 on Lap 14 to complete the overtake and move up to P16.
On the following lap, Alonso attempted to pass Alexander Albon (Williams) on the inside at Turn 1, but Albon held his position. Alonso continued to look for an opportunity and, when Albon again ran off line at the final corner, he took advantage to complete the pass and move up to P15.
Stroll, meanwhile, resumed the race in P11 but was passed by several rivals and had dropped to P13 by Lap 16.
In the second half of the race, Alonso began making further progress. On Lap 35, running on hard tyres, he dived to the inside of Stroll at Turn 4 to move up to P12. On the following lap, he overtook Esteban Ocon (Haas) before Turn 4 to take P11.
On Lap 38, Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg were involved in a close battle. Hulkenberg attacked around the outside at Turn 1 and then drew alongside on the inside at Turn 2, but Stroll used better traction on the exit to retain the position. At Turn 4, however, Hulkenberg again dived to the inside and overtook both Ocon and Stroll in one move, dropping Stroll to P14.
On Lap 40, Alonso closed in on Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), who was running in the final points-paying position of P10. Alonso went to the inside on Lindblad’s right at Turn 1 and the pair ran side by side through the corner before heading towards the left-hand Turn 2. With Alonso on the outside for Turn 2, he briefly allowed Lindblad back ahead, but took a cutback line and accelerated past on the exit to move into P10.
A car stopped at the side of the track on Lap 43, prompting a Virtual Safety Car (VSC), which was subsequently upgraded to an SC. On Lap 50, while the field was still behind the SC, third-placed George Russell (Mercedes) suffered a problem on the main straight and stopped near the pit exit, retiring from the race. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), who was immediately behind, slowed sharply as he tried to determine whether Russell was simply moving to the inside or stopping with a problem. Norris then approached rapidly from behind and had to run off the track at Turn 1 to avoid contact. Alonso moved up to P8 as a result.
When racing resumed on Lap 52, Alonso withstood pressure from the cars behind to retain a season-best P8 and finished the 55-lap race in eighth place, scoring four points. Stroll also reached the finish, taking P12 in what is also his season-best.
We have been more competitive this weekend and P8 is a good result for us. There were a lot of things that happened in the race. We started with the dry tyres and put ourselves in a difficult position, but thankfully the Safety Car started a new race for us. There are not many weekends where we can score points, so we executed well and took the opportunity. Let’s see if we can keep up this pace into Singapore where on paper we have some hope. The issues at the start were quite strange and we need to understand what happened there.
We have been more competitive this weekend and P8 is a good result for us. There were a lot of things that happened in the race. We started with the dry tyres and put ourselves in a difficult position, but thankfully the Safety Car started a new race for us. There are not many weekends where we can score points, so we executed well and took the opportunity. Let’s see if we can keep up this pace into Singapore where on paper we have some hope. The issues at the start were quite strange and we need to understand what happened there.
We came to Malaysia knowing this track would suit our car slightly better – less power and grip limited so that helped us. It was fun being out there today and battling with other cars. The weather conditions were very tricky and I think we missed some good racing with the delayed start. But I was surprised how slippery it was when I first got out there so I came in and switched to Inters, which was the right choice. The Hard tyre seemed very robust and I think I could have pushed the second set we used more in hindsight. That’s where we lost a couple of positions and finished outside the points.
We came to Malaysia knowing this track would suit our car slightly better – less power and grip limited so that helped us. It was fun being out there today and battling with other cars. The weather conditions were very tricky and I think we missed some good racing with the delayed start. But I was surprised how slippery it was when I first got out there so I came in and switched to Inters, which was the right choice. The Hard tyre seemed very robust and I think I could have pushed the second set we used more in hindsight. That’s where we lost a couple of positions and finished outside the points.
It’s great to score four points and achieve our best result of the year, with Fernando in P8 and Lance in P12. Both drivers were in the mix throughout the afternoon, executing some strong overtakes and making the most of the opportunities that came their way. It’s encouraging to convert the speed we showed in qualifying into race results. So much happened this afternoon, from the rainy conditions to the delayed start, so we need to conduct a thorough review of how things played out and some of the decisions we made. It’s also important that we thank Bahrain and Malaysia for their fantastic collaboration in making this race possible with just a couple of months’ notice.
It’s great to score four points and achieve our best result of the year, with Fernando in P8 and Lance in P12. Both drivers were in the mix throughout the afternoon, executing some strong overtakes and making the most of the opportunities that came their way. It’s encouraging to convert the speed we showed in qualifying into race results. So much happened this afternoon, from the rainy conditions to the delayed start, so we need to conduct a thorough review of how things played out and some of the decisions we made. It’s also important that we thank Bahrain and Malaysia for their fantastic collaboration in making this race possible with just a couple of months’ notice.
Malaysia has been challenging for the engine combustion and also for driveability, but our engineers have been working hard to mitigate these elements, along with the team.
We were lucky because temperatures during the race were lower than expected and we worked well with Aston Martin Aramco to manage this.
The result obtained today is a good achievement for us. It’s not entirely indicative of our power unit performance, but everyone worked well to maximise our outcomes, which were four championship points. Considering the hard work that’s gone in since Monza – with the tough moments in the three races since – this is a good result for Honda, and we will keep working hard throughout the remainder of the season to improve where we can.
Malaysia has been challenging for the engine combustion and also for driveability, but our engineers have been working hard to mitigate these elements, along with the team.
We were lucky because temperatures during the race were lower than expected and we worked well with Aston Martin Aramco to manage this.
The result obtained today is a good achievement for us. It’s not entirely indicative of our power unit performance, but everyone worked well to maximise our outcomes, which were four championship points. Considering the hard work that’s gone in since Monza – with the tough moments in the three races since – this is a good result for Honda, and we will keep working hard throughout the remainder of the season to improve where we can.
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