Fernando Alonso explains how he knocked Chico Perez off the podium

The 42-year-old Aston Martin driver emerged victorious from the exciting duel with the Mexican at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen led from start to finish to win the race Brazilian Grand PrixBut the spotlight took them away YesArgio Perez And Fernando Alonso From Aston Martin.

Chico was on the verge of taking the podium, but the Spaniard finished 0.053 seconds ahead of the Mexican, at the close of the ages. The two competed for position in the last three laps, and the Red Bull driver beat Alonso once, but lost the position.

“For me, it was like 30 laps,” Alonso said of his fight with Perez.

“When Chico passed me, I thought: ‘Okay, it’s no longer possible to get on the podium,’ but then he braked a little late in Turn 1 and I tried it in Turn 4. It is an amazing result for everyone in the team because “We have suffered in the last two months, especially in the last two races with two retirements,” he explained. Alonso On Interlagos Road.

Thus, the Mexican took fourth place to distance himself from him Lewis Hamilton Mercedes to finish second in the championship in one of the few remaining battles this season. McLaren’s Lando Norris finished second at Interlagos.

Alonso He starred in an amazing duel with Red Bull Czech Perez In which he held out for a large part of the race until the Mexican overtook him shortly before the end, but the two-time world champion (2005 and 2006) recovered and regained third place on the last lap.

Perez will come out Brazil 32 points behind Hamilton with two races remaining (Las Vegas on November 19 and Abu Dhabi a week later).

The Mexican started Brazilian Grand Prix in ninth, while fan favorite Hamilton came in fifth after a frustrating qualifying for the Red Bull driver on Friday. He improved on Saturday in the sprint and that helped him gain more confidence on Sunday.