Breaking news
Formula 1 Bahrain GP
Sandwich wrapper caused Alonso's Bahrain retirement
Fernando Alonso's hopes of scoring points on his Formula 1 return in Bahrain were wrecked by a sandwich wrapper getting lodged into one of his brake ducts.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: Mar 30, 2021, 9:11 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Spaniard was in the mix for a top 10 finish at the F1 season opener as he battled with McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari rivals over the early stages of the Sakhir race.
But just when it looked like he was on course to deliver points in his first race for Alpine, despite some minor battery problems, he began struggling with overheating brakes and he was forced in to the pits to retire.
It was only when the team began a post-race analysis of the car to discover what the problem was, that it discovered a discarded food wrapper had got lodged inside the brake duct.
Alpine's executive director Marcin Budkowski said: "After his first stop we had a small issue that forced us to reduce the performance of the car, then after the second stop, a sandwich wrap paper got stuck inside the rear brake duct of Fernando's car.
"This led to high temperatures and caused some damage to the brake system, so we retired him for safety reasons. It was a very unlucky first race for Fernando considering how strong he looked."
Read Also:
- Alonso “expecting to struggle” in opening races of F1 return
- Why Alonso’s eyes have returned to his first motorsport prize
Despite the disappointment of not getting some early points on the board, Alonso said he enjoyed his F1 return.
"Firstly, it was great to be back racing in Formula 1," he said. "The start was fun, we gained some places and I had some enjoyable battles with old colleagues. However, it was disappointing to not see the chequered flag in the end.
"The issue we had after the second stop was a rear brake issue as some debris entered the brake ducts and overheated the temperatures of the car.
"Looking at the race it was very close in the midfield, and just a couple of tenths seems to change the order quite significantly. I think it's going to be a very interesting and competitive season to watch. We'll go again and fight hard in Imola."
Alpine left Bahrain without scoring any points after Esteban Ocon could only finish 13th. He had not been helped by a poor qualifying that was caused by bad luck with yellow flags, and also getting hit by Sebastian Vettel during a battle for position in the race.
"Even with Seb [Vettel] at the end, he locked up and went into me," said Ocon. "He apologised, we all make mistakes, and that happens sometimes. We were just a little bit short overall today."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Verstappen: Red Bull didn't have flexibility it needed on tyres
Next article Mazepin "very angry" with himself for early Bahrain exit
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jonathan Noble
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
More from
Fernando Alonso
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Fernando Alonso set for Dakar Rally comeback with Aston Martin
Dakar
Dakar
Fernando Alonso set for Dakar Rally comeback with Aston Martin
More from
Alpine
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Latest news
Daniel Juncadella says he “f***ed” up as Genesis goes from first to last in Barcelona WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Barcelona
30 min
Daniel Juncadella says he “f***ed” up as Genesis goes from first to last in Barcelona WEC
McLaren retains Leonardo Fornaroli in F1 as Italian adds WEC programme for 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 1 h
McLaren retains Leonardo Fornaroli in F1 as Italian adds WEC programme for 2027
GT2 European: Maserati ends on a high note at Portimao, with titles for Hartling/Thilenius and Gialdini/Njor
Sponsored
Sponsored
Portimão
2 h
GT2 European: Maserati ends on a high note at Portimao, with titles for Hartling/Thilenius and Gialdini/Njor
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe