Alonso beats a Schumacher record and unnerves Mercedes: "Only he denies that there is a problem"

• Chronicle Hecatomb in Ferrari and another double for Red Bull

• Azerbaijan GP Qualifying and times

• World Cup 2022 The pulse between Verstappen and Leclerc

The third consecutive race in the points, after Barcelona and Monte Carlo, satisfied

's longevity record in Baku

.

21 years, three months and eight days have elapsed between his debut with Minardi at the 2001 Australian GP and this seventh place, making the Spaniard the driver with the longest career in F1 history.

Alpine's strategy, which opted to take advantage of a

period to mount hard tires on the A522, worked this time for Alonso.

The speed of the car on the four straights in Baku outweighed the problems in the slow zones, in which the Spaniard struggled to maintain a competitive pace.

"Today's biggest challenge was keeping the rear wheels alive. We suffered more than expected with the tires and we had very little downforce," said Alonso after a race in which he was able to contain the final attack of the McLarens.

"We knew that they expected some failure, but he always tried to do the last three corners well, calmly," added the Oviedo man on the DAZN microphones.

Hamilton's Lament

The general balance was positive for Fernando, aware that regularity would weigh even more on this urban layout, so conducive to surprises.

"The start, the strategy and the pit stop were good. When you do all that in Baku you usually gain positions," he concluded.

Alonso's satisfaction contrasted, for example, with the complaints of

, fourth at the finish line, almost 26 seconds

, his Mercedes teammate.

The seven-time world champion complained bitterly about the rattle on board his car.

"It was the hardest and most painful race of my life. I don't want to have that problem again and I will do anything to avoid it," he warned after the checkered flag.

To these statements were added those of

, head of the Silver Arrows, who recorded a meeting prior to the race regarding the famous

.

"All the pilots met and agreed that there is a problem. All except one: Alonso," the Austrian leaked to the Sky network.

Pending a hypothetical agreement on this issue, the truth is that Alonso's next record could be set at the Singapore GP, when he would have to overtake

, until now the driver with the most races in the Grand Circus.

At the moment, Fernando has 342 grand prizes, eight less than the Finn.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

• Fernando Alonso