Sky Sports expert shares theory behind Hamilton being angered by Alonso
Former F1 driver turned Sky Sports pundit Anthony Davidson believes that Fernando Alonso’s ‘brake-checking manoeuvre’ on Lewis Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was actually an attempt to avoid giving the Mercedes driver the DRS on the run down to Turn 6.
Alonso was making his way out of the pit lane following his final stop of the race when he resurfaced just ahead of Hamilton on the track. As the cars raced down towards Turn 5, the Aston Martin driver moved to the right and heavily lifted off the throttle before returning to the racing line for the corner entry.
This prompted a furious response from Hamilton, who was less than impressed by the Spaniard’s antics. “He just brake-tested me,” he fumed. “I got brake tested like way before the braking zone.”
Fans were left scratching their heads as to what Alonso’s plan was with his brake-testing move, and even co-commentator Martin Brundle was at a loss for words when attempting to explain the 42-year-old’s possible motivations.
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Davidson, however, came up with a theory. “As they come up to this white line, Fernando slams on the brakes,” the former Super Aguri and Honda driver explained. “And you know what that white line is? It’s the DRS detection point, isn’t it?
“And I think Fernando… I’ll just go to his onboard and you’ll see where he’s looking as he comes out of the pits. He gives a big old look to the right-hand side to check where the car is… there… and then to the left… and now slows down.
“And we’ve got more evidence, not just the tone of the engine. We’ve got his [steering wheel] dash showing you the speed as well – 277 kilometres an hour at that point.” Davidson then walked viewers through Alonso’s deceleration ahead of the braking zone.
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“So I think he’s trying to let Lewis past him… or whatever car he thought was behind at that point, he must have known it was Lewis, racing up to that DRS detection point to hopefully give himself the DRS in fighting Lewis when he comes around onto the straight.”
While this particular piece of trickery didn’t play into Alonso’s hands, he was the one smiling when the chequered flag waved. The two-time world champion crossed the line in P7 with that result proving enough to secure fourth place in the Drivers’ Championship standings ahead of Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.
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