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2021 Formula 1 World Championship
Round 14
Italian Grand Prix
Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Sunday 12 September 2021
14:00
Fernando Alonso will look for another strong showing when the Formula 1 World Championship hosts Round 14, the Italian Grand Prix, at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza on the afternoon of Sunday 12 September 2021.
The Alpine-Renault pilot put in a superb drive at this past weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix to come home in sixth place, nicking the position from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr on the last lap: “It was a very stressful moment for sure,” said the two-time World Champion. “I had a go at Carlos into Turn 1 on the inside and I thought I was making the move, and in the last moment he released the brakes and he braked even later so we nearly touched already into Turn 1.
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“And then into Turn 3 I was too close and I locked the fronts a little bit and ran wider than normal outside the circuit. But obviously there are like two metres from the banking to the wall and I was like 10 centimetres or something from the wall with both front tyres, locked up! It’s not that I did anything magic there, it was just pure luck because I was not in control of the car. I got lucky there.”
Alonso added that he enjoyed the challenge of Zandvoort: It was fun to drive out there,” Alonso said at the weekend. “The circuit has challenges, that’s for sure. I don’t know if it compares to any other circuit we’ve been to recently. There is no room for error, there is gravel and grass everywhere. But 10 years ago all the circuits were like this and nothing happened. I enjoyed with low fuel load, the car feels very fast here and it was fun. I’m a pretty clean driver, I normally never take advantage of the run-offs.”
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With this weekend’s schedule in Italy including a Saturday afternoon ‘sprint race’ to determine the grid order for Sunday's race, Alonso will hope to shine again, much as he did in the ‘sprint race’ for the British Grand Prix earlier this year when he started 11th and ended seventh.
Drivers’ Championship standings
1 – Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing-Honda, 224.5 points
2 – Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 221.5 points
3 – Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 123
4 – Lando Norris, McLaren-Mercedes, 114
5 – Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing-Honda, 108
Constructors’ Championship standings
1 – Mercedes, 344.5 points
2 – Red Bull Racing-Honda, 332.5
3 – Ferrari, 181.5
4 – McLaren-Mercedes, 170
5 – Alpine-Renault, 90
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