Fernando Alonso Secures Dramatic Podium Just A Hair's Width Ahead Of Perez

Fernando Alonso could not contain his happiness after snatching a dramatic third place at Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix at the iconic Interlagos Circuit in Brazil. The two-time world champion fought off immense pressure from Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez to claim P3 in his Aston Martin. The pair crossed the finish line separated by just 0.053s.

To put things in perspective, a blink of an eye could literally take longer than the time between the two cars. The drag race to the line resulted in what has been described by many pundits as one of the best final laps ever seen in Formula 1 racing.

Alonso faced pressure from the much faster RB19 of Perez throughout the second half of the race. Once the Mexican got within DRS range behind the Aston Martin, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before the places would swap. Indeed, the Mexican got past the Spaniard on Turn 1 on Lap 70 of 71.

Other drivers would have thought that the superior race pace on the other car meant that the fight was over, but not Alonso. He immediately started his counter attack before the Red Bull broke the DRS barrier, and he put Perez under immense pressure as they started the final lap.

Alonso stuck right on the Red Bull's rear wing and used DRS to get himself back ahead by Turn 4. The next series of corner passed in slow-motion, with no one from the Red Bull and Aston Martin garages taking a single breath. Alonso managed to hold off Perez through the corners, but everyone knew he would be in trouble at the start-finish straight once the Red Bull had space to unleash its superior pace.

However, Alonso had done just enough and the distance to the timing radar was just enough for him to finish in P3 by just 0.053 seconds.

The Aston Martin garage exploded in cheers, and the entire racing world slow-clapped in amazement. Perez was already way ahead by the end of the start-finish straight, but Alonso was still in front when the results were officially caught by the radar.

Both drivers enjoyed the fight

Alonso was clearly ecstatic as he went up the podium, and he confirmed during the post-race interview that the battle was as exciting as it seemed from the outside.

"For me it was like 30 laps that I had the pressure from Checo [Perez]," said Alonso, who started the Grand Prix from P4 in the grid.

"But when he passed me two laps to the end, I thought, 'Okay, this is gone, the podium is not possible anymore.' But he braked a little bit late into [Turn] 1, and I said, 'Okay, I go for it into [Turn] 4.'"

While Alonso was talking to reporters, Perez came over to congratulate him and the pair shared a hug and a quick chat. Both looked happy with the result, even Perez who lost out on the podium. Clearly, they both enjoyed the clean and competitive racing.

When asked what they talked about, Alonso joked that he had asked Perez not to put him under so much pressure next time because he was "no longer 20 years old".

He added that following two retirements in Texas and Mexico City, he was delighted with the "phenomenal result for the team".

"We've been struggling for a couple of months already, especially the last two events with two retirements. So this podium is for them, for everybody in the factory. We keep fighting until the last lap."

Alonso also recently spoke about the rumours surrounding his future. He slammed the reports claiming that he is eyeing a move to Red Bull to replace Perez. Instead, he reiterated his intention to stand by the Aston Martin team next season.

Status Quo up front

Meanwhile, amid all the excitement in the battle for third place, Max Verstappen claimed his 17th victory of the season in the other Red Bull, followed by McLaren star Lando Norris, who had to settle for second place once more. The pair of them pretty much held the 1-2 from the start, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashing out before the race even started.

The Monegasque qualified in second, and was salivating at the prospect of having a fast start at the anti-clockwise circuit. However, his car gave out in the formation lap in what has only been described as a hydraulic failure. His exit left Norris free to chase Verstappen, but the McLaren was simply no match for the Red Bull.

In fact, such has been the pace of the Austrian outfit all season, that they had wrapped up both championships early. Checo Perez has fallen far behind his teammate in the points, but it was often a result of bad qualifying positions and other circumstances. The race pace of the Red Bulls is almost always superior to the other cars on the grid, which is what makes Alonso's feat all the more amazing.

The Spaniard started the season with a string of podium finishes, but his last appearance in the top 3 was all the way back at the Dutch Grand Prix. His teammate, Lance Stroll has also been frustrated as of late, but he also managed to finish with a strong P5 in Brazil behind Perez.

Aston Martin had been experimenting with upgrades in recent races as they start development for their 2024 car. There have been a number of setbacks, but the progress has been positive overall.

Alonso added: "We've been experimenting a little bit to find the direction for next year. We thought about forgetting this year, but we're still competing, so happy... and now to Vegas!"