"If they want to fight, they will pay the price": When Fernando Alonso's racecraft outfoxed Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo

During the 2022 French Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso beat McLaren's fierce teammates Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo to clinch P6. He played mind games with McLaren to keep them close enough to get the clean air advantage and also prevented a potential overtake.

Alpine and McLaren were engaged in a heated battle during the 2022 F1 season. Both teams built competitive cars and their rivalry peaked during the French Grand Prix held at Paul Richard Circuit.

Alonso showed promising form in the qualifying session to finish ahead of Ricciardo at P7, but Norris was ahead at P4. Regardless, the Spaniard gained two places on Turn 1 and had a lead over the McLaren duo, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo.

In the second half of the race, the Alpine driver was threatened by Norris' pace as the gap was reduced to a single second. However, instead of panicking, Fernando Alonso used his brains to outfox McLaren.

In a clip released by Netflix series 'Drive to Survive' season 5 in 2023, Alonso opened up on his game plan. Responding to his race engineer's caution about McLaren's quick pace, he said:

"It's a long race. If they want to fight, they will pay the price." [1.00]

When his race engineer informed him about Norris getting closer and picking up pace from behind, Fernando Alonso revealed:

"No problem. I want them very close to me."

Moreover, in a post-race interview, Alonso explained:

"We played the race like a chess game. We tried to position the McLarens close to us and tried to have some clean air in the front. I did 350 races; I know what I'm doing sometimes."

Alonso went on to finish P6 in the 2022 French Grand Prix, whereas Lando Norris settled for P5. His Alpine teammate, Esteban Ocon, also beat Daniel Ricciardo to gain a P8 finish.

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Fernando Alonso opens up on Adrian Newey's impact on Aston Martin

Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso Announce The Arrival Of Adrian Newey (Image Source: Getty)

Aston Martin unveiled their 2025 season challenger during FIA's event in London. After an underwhelming season in 2024, the Silverstone-based squad will aim for a major turnaround.

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso was asked to reveal if Adrian Newey will have a greater impact on Aston Martin compared to the impact Lewis Hamilton could likely have on Ferrari.

Talking to AS, he said (via Sports Illustrated):

“Adrian Newey will always have more impact than any driver. Drivers come and go; the 20 of us here try to drive well, and we have achieved things until we reach F1. I don't know what Hamilton will contribute or add to Ferrari; it will surely be less than what a designer can contribute.”

Adrian Newey joined Aston Martin this year after splitting with Red Bull in the middle of the 2024 season. He is one of the most renowned engineers in F1 with over 40 years of experience in designing.