Waiting for each other on track is a tactic more typical of friendly karting fights than of Formula 1, but occasionally desperate measures are necessary. It’s what Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez are doing this season, as they themselves have confessed. And they gave us memorable moments in Miami.
Alonso and Pérez are driving the two slowest cars in Formula 1, the Aston Martin and the Cadillac respectively. The only option they have to avoid spending the entire race alone is to wait for each other, so that’s what they’re doing. It’s not just about fun; along the way they’re also learning how the new Formula 1 operates.
“We talk about waiting for each other to learn how to manage,” says Alonso
Many suspected it and they’ve confirmed it. Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez have agreed to wait for each other in Formula 1 races. The Spanish driver himself has revealed it, talking about the duel he held with the Mexican in Miami, and now we know that it had its share of embellishment.
“With Checo Pérez we try to wait for each other. It’s a bit of entertainment, although today we had a little more pace than them,” said Fernando Alonso after the Miami race. The Asturian and Pérez were involved in one of the day’s duels, but behind there was some trickery. And it isn’t just about having fun while driving.
In the new Formula 1 it’s essential to run in traffic to learn how to manage the battery, and it’s something that neither Alonso nor Pérez, with the weakest cars in Formula 1, have been able to do yet, basically because everyone goes faster than them. So Alonso and Pérez have reached an agreement to wait for each other to learn from one another.
“Con Lance Stroll también hablo siempre de esperarnos, going together and trying to learn something about energy management,” says Alonso about the strategy he carries out with his Aston Martin teammate. But now he has added at least one of Cadillac’s two drivers to the cause, the other being the weaker team.
Pérez, for his part, considers that “Fernando tiene un gran modo de pilotar y es muy limpio. Battling him is always a lot of fun because he is super-aggressive and super-smart. You know that when he pulls away, he’s plotting something. And when he closes in, the same. He always plans his moves,” says the Mexican.
“I hope the Aston Martin doesn’t improve too fast so I can keep having fun with Fernando,” Sergio Pérez concludes with a laugh.
Images | Cadillac, Aston Martin
