The inexhaustible link between Alonso and Sainz: "The definitive photo would be to see them together on the podium"

• Bahrain GP Sainz touches the 'pole' in the first hand blow of Ferrari

• Starting grid Classification and times

• Mercedes, without solutions What happens to Hamilton?

This is about parents, although not in the

sense , but in the purest and most genuine.

and

, the two Spanish hopes in the 2022 World Cup, share so many ambitions, virtues and affinities, both in common inside and outside a car, that their friendship seems to be based on blood ties.

Even today, the veteran two-time champion, with 19 seasons in F1, continues to guide the steps of the Ferrari driver, who dreams of getting on the podium with whom he always considered his idol.

It would be the first double toast in the history of our motorsports.

As this is about parents,

and

, their respective parents, will celebrate it with legitimate pride.

The first, from home;

the other, almost at the foot of the track.

Among the palm trees, cradled by the desert breeze, only a few steps separate the garages of Ferrari and Alpine in Sakhir.

"Despite leaving their skin every time they cross paths, Carlos and Fernando respect each other a lot. Seeing them up there, with champagne, would be the definitive photo," they tell EL MUNDO from the

facilities .

Meanwhile,

, Alpine's new

, crosses the street to exchange some impressions with his technical chief,

, aware of the tremendous room for improvement of the French car.

"Sainz father was the undoubted common thread between the two. Somehow, that love received, Fernando has been giving it back to Carlos," they add from the French team.

There is so much

that not even a sudden shock seems capable of altering it.

If it serves as an example, just yesterday, during the last free session, Alonso took a mistake by Sainz on the pit lane very philosophically.

"That was good," commented the man from Oviedo about the

.

The comeback against PSG

Anyone would say that it was just one more pique among so many padel matches, like the one they played a few days ago in this corner of the Persian Gulf.

Beyond the jokes of the winner, everything would end up being resolved around a table.

"It is inevitable that during dinner they move away a little to talk about their feelings in the car. Even if you don't hear them, just by seeing them move their hands, simulating what happens in each curve, you know what they are talking about," says another of the diners.

"The fact that they share this data, despite what is played on the track, says a lot about their relationship. You don't have to give credit to a stupid rivalry," he adds.

Another of the mutual passions, clearly recognized, points to Real Madrid, whose comeback against PSG immediately reached these parts.

"The next morning, when they took that beautiful photo here, they would surely be remembering the 3-1 at the Bernabéu," says a good connoisseur of the couple, referring to the header image of this report.

Before the Covid bubble, it was even more common for them to sit together to watch a League or Spanish national team match.

Today's rush to see the last minutes of the classic against Barça represents only the foretaste of another date to dream about: on May 28, coinciding again with the Monaco GP, the Champions League final will be played in Paris.

And in the Principality, as in 2021, nobody like Ferrari to aspire to victory.

"They are tremendously observant and like to ask a lot."

With so many pools on the table, this World Cup of regulatory revolution seems like a crucial milestone for Alonso and Sainz.

Only a more or less constant fight for the podiums will ensure the Asturian's continuity in the Great Circus.

Meanwhile, Sainz, still involved in the negotiations for the renewal, sees the victories even closer.

Today, in Shakir, first opportunity against

and

, propelled by the new strength of the engine designed in Maranello.

At this point, nobody dares to discuss his worth in a factory that a decade ago already fell in love with Alonso's charisma.

"Both are tremendously observant. They like to ask a lot and as they listen, their mind moves on to the next step. This ability makes them very astute behind the wheel, great strategists," reveals an old partner in Alonso's fatigue.

Although essential, intelligence and skill are not enough in such a ruthless sport.

So his mentor and his disciple also match his work ethic.

"One of my objectives with Carlos, in the image of what we saw in Fernando, was to train twice as much as the rivals. In the end, the difference ends up being marked by those extra training sessions that allow you to reach the last corner not only in perfect physical condition, but also better in the head", develops who prepared hundreds of gym and karting sessions.

As for the differentiating features, there is a certain correlation between what is seen inside and outside the asphalt.

"I think Fernando is more intuitive, someone who is guided by his sense of smell," adds a former teammate of the Asturian.

"I see Carlos as a more thoughtful and analytical guy," he details.

Taking this evolution for granted, which ended up being transferred to his piloting, it is now possible to ask about the origin of everything.

Even Alonso's own memory has faltered when it comes to recalling that first episode.

It was in Oviedo, on July 28, 1996, the eve of his 15th birthday, just two weeks after becoming world karting champion.

Aware of both circumstances, the mayor,

, wanted to give the boy a gift to match.

10 years between Oviedo and Montmeló

"He told us that there was a

who had just won the title, that he idolized Carlos and that he was very excited to take a few laps with him," explains one of the privileged witnesses of that Formula Rallye Ciudad de Oviedo.

The enjoyment from the passenger seat - with his stomach a little queasy between so many pirouettes on the sand of the Ford Escort - was etched in that teenager, clinging to an Asturias flag that fluttered out the window.

All subsequent events seem like a simple consequence of that Sunday afternoon at the Hípica Oviedo.

It took almost a decade for Alonso to return the courtesy to the Sainz family.

It was in Montmeló, when an 11-year-old boy was walking with his mouth open, without missing a detail, on his way to the garage directed by

.

That initiatory experience of the 2006 Spanish GP decanted the vocation of Sainz, who would soon begin to open his own path in karts and Formula Renault.

"Of course that

was key for the development of Carlos, that he always saw him as a reference", admits one of the first guides in the trajectory of the Madrilenian.

At that time, Red Bull provided passes to the

and the greatest illusion of each weekend was the visit to Alonso's box.

"He kept us up to date on how the car was doing, on his sensations at each circuit. For Carlos it was fundamental. He listened to his advice, on what steps to take."

And so, until today in Bahrain.

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Know more

• Fernando Alonso

• Carlos Sainz Jr.

Formula 1Sainz touches the 'pole' in the first hand blow of Ferrari

Formula 1 Ferrari confirms its strength and Ocon gives Alpine a scare

Formula 1Mercedes, without solutions in Sakhir: What happens to Hamilton?

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