"Alonso owned him": Fans react to the Fernando Alonso's epic defense against Lewis Hamilton at the 2021 F1 Hungarian GP

F1 fans were left in awe of Fernando Alonso's defense against Lewis Hamilton during the iconic 2021 Hungarian GP.

In his first year back in the sport after his sabbatical, the two-time world champion showcased some of his best defensive capabilities in Budapest as he stopped his rival from getting a shot at the win. For almost 10 laps, Fernando Alonso made it impossible for Hamilton to pass him with fresher tires and a superior car.

Speaking with Autosport, the Alpine sporting director Alan Parmene could not stop praising Alonso. He said:

"[Alonso was] incredible, absolutely incredible. Honestly, he's happy for us, he's happy for Esteban but I know he's frustrated because he wants to win."

Fernando Alonso also added that he was aware of the situation:

"No, the team didn't tell me anything, but I knew more or less what the situation of the race was. I was looking at the biggest screens, I knew that Esteban and Vettel were fighting, and they were like two corners in front of us."

"With 20 laps to the end and Lewis coming two or three seconds faster, that was enough to win the race probably, so I knew that every lap I could hold him behind, that was gold for Esteban's win."

While sharing the video of Alonso's defense ahead of the 2023 Hungarian GP, F1 fans were left impressed with the driving skills. One fan claimed that the Spaniard owned the seven-time champion, saying:

"Alonso owned him."

Here are some more reactions:

Lewis Hamilton comments on his iconic battle with Fernando Alonso

Although he got past Fernando Alonso eventually, Lewis Hamilton stated that his former teammate gave him 'hell' during the race. The Mercedes driver said, as per The Race:

“Fernando gave me hell out there. It was awesome racing, pretty on edge at least once but great racing. Looking back on it, it was amazing – it really, really was fantastic. I wish the cars could follow closer and I’m excited for what the cars are like next year. Hopefully, that eradicates a lot of that bad draft that we had here."

On his battle with Alonso, the Brit said:

"It’s a really difficult circuit to overtake on in general and to follow, particularly in that last sector, but great wheel-to-wheel battles. It literally was wheel-to-wheel at least once and I don’t really have much more to say about it."

"When you’re racing against a two-time world champion, he probably is one of the hardest drivers – but fair. I’d say today was a little bit over the limit.”

Both drivers displayed some outstanding race craft to give fans one of the battles of the year.