GP Madrid, tense nerves between Alonso and Sainz
After Kimi Antonelli’s triumph in Monza, there was absolutely no chance to applaud another feat from the home heroes: in the Spanish GP, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz knew very well they were powerless against much stronger opponents.
Read more Rally of Chile 2026, Day 2: Solberg still leader. Ogier puts pressure on Evans
Alonso and Sainz, in fact, almost made history, but on the wrong side. The two Spaniards narrowly avoided a crash at over 300 km/h during the 13th lap just before the chicane of turns 5-6, while fighting for 17th position.
The home favourites make contact! 😱
Sainz’s Williams and Alonso’s Aston Martin touched in the fight for P17 💥#F1 #SpanishGP | LAP 13/57 pic.twitter.com/M5PQAvJPm6
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 13, 2026
“He pushed me against the wall! At the start he hit two cars, now he’s sending me into the wall under braking: I was going over 300 km/h,” Alonso complained via radio to his race engineer. Sainz, at the start, braked late at turn 1 hitting Yuki Tsunoda.
Read more Solberg dominates the 2026 Chile Rally. Toyota in the legend
The race stewards penalized the Williams driver with five seconds for moving under braking. Nothing that affected the GP for either, considering Alonso would have finished 17th while Sainz would have retired. The Aston Martin veteran highlighted this in post-race interviews, without missing the chance to throw another jab at his compatriot: “It didn’t matter, but I prefer to be alive at the end of the GP and not crash at 340 km/h.”
Sainz finally responded to Alonso, pointing out that the Asturian has the habit of complaining over the radio: “There’s nothing to say. It’s the nature of the corner, but he complained on the radio and managed to get me penalized, as always.”
