Ferrari's Fernando Alonso has said his European Grand Prix win at the weekend, was the most emotional of his careerand judging by his performance on the podium, it certainly was! He was seen with his head in his hands at the end of Sunday's race in Valencia and Alonso suggested his tears were brought on by strong patriotic feelings. He said:
The emotions are unique because for Spain it is a difficult time with economic problems and people made sacrifices to come here, and yesterday we felt sad because we did not give them what they wanted.
Fernando's emotions probably started building a day or so earlier when his country beat France to get through to the semi-finals of Euro 2012 or maybe, they went deeper than that; Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo spoke after the race about the team's homeland, Emilia Romagna, where just a month before, two earthquakes killed 26 people. The Ferrari boss said:
Fernando was extraordinary and it's hard to find the words to describe his race which has shown the spirit of a team that never gives up. The win also reflects the spirit of our homeland where so many people are going through a particularly difficult time after the earthquake a few weeks back. Let's hope this victory will at least have put a smile on their faces.
The win makes the Spaniard the first double winner of the season and it means he is once again leading the Drivers' Championship board. He is ahead of RedBull's Mark Webber by 20 points.
Well done Alonso, who wouldn't be emotional after winning a Grand Prix! My thoughts and best wishes go out to the people of Emilia Romagna.