Fernando Alonso's witty response to his protégé almost crashing into him during the F1 Saudi Arabian GP

Fernando Alonso conveyed his feelings after Gabriel Bortoleto almost crashed into him during the recently concluded Saudi Arabian GP. Speaking about the incident and Bortoleto's action on him, Alonso jokingly stated that he would not provide dinner to the Kick Sauber driver later in the night.

F1 concluded its fifth race of the 2025 season, where Oscar Piastri emerged as the winner once again. This was his third victory in five races, and the first victory by a driver other than Max Verstappen since the track was opened in 2021.

Piastri came home to take the victory ahead of Verstappen, who was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in a first-corner battle. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari wrapped up the podium places. Alonso came home in P11, while Bortoleto crossed the finish line in P18.

Alonso and Bortoleto started the race and crossed the checkered flag in two different positions. However, while approaching Turn 1, the Brazilian prodigy was engaged in a duel with Liam Lawson and almost pushed the two-time champion onto the wall in the process. Thankfully, the latter emerged unscathed from the incident.

Reacting to the incident after the race, Alonso shared a witty response and said in the post-race interview:

"Maybe no dinner for him [on the flight home]." [via ESPN F1]

Interestingly, Alonso is Bortoleto's manager, and they will fly home together ahead of next week's break prior to the 2025 Miami Grand Prix in Florida, United States, in the first week of May.

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Fernando Alonso sums up a "difficult" Saudi Arabian GP race weekend

Fernando Alonso of the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team races during the Saudi Arabia GP - Source: Getty

Following the conclusion of the Saudi Arabian GP, Fernando Alonso shared his take and tagged it as a "difficult" race weekend after he started the race from P13 and came home in P11. His teammate, Lance Stroll, finished his race in the same place he started from — P16.

“It has been a difficult weekend,” he said in the post-race interview, as per Motorsports.com. “We didn't unlock any pace. We tried many different setups. All of them had more or less the same outcome at the end of the lap."

“So, we really need something from the factory, not from the trackside. I think we ran out of ideas at the moment," he further added.

Aston Martin experienced yet another race weekend where they failed to score any points. They are currently placed in P7 in the Constructors' Championship with 10 points after five races, and a sprint. McLaren is leading the Championship with 188 points, followed by Mercedes with 111 and Red Bull with 89.

Lance Stroll, with his 10 points, is the only point-scoring driver for Aston Martin, as Fernando Alonso is yet to score a point this season. McLaren's Oscar Piastri has replaced his teammate, Norris as the driver's championship leader, and is leading the pack with 99 points, followed by Norris with 89, and Verstappen with 87 points.