Alonso: Broadcasting radio rants is getting annoying

Fernando Alonso says the regularity with which his radio messages to McLaren are aired on Formula 1's official broadcast has started to become "annoying". Alonso's radio messages have become something of a cult sensation and qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix was no different.

As torrential rain caused havoc with teams' strategies in Q2 at the Hungaroring, Alonso was asked about his chances of improving upon his 11th-quickest time on full wet tyres, the exchange going as follows...

McLaren: "Fernando - do you think we should do a new set of inters or wets? New inters or wets?"

Alonso: "I think we should go to the garage and see the conditions. With the wets we can go out, but if we are 25 seconds slower then it is just running for nothing. We need to improve the P11."

How crazy were those conditions in qualifying? Here’s a bit of show and tell from Fernando Alonso ?????????????????? . #F1 #Formula1 #HungarianGP #Budapest #Rain #Alonso #FernandoAlonso #McLaren @fernandoalo_oficial @mclaren #Hungaroring

A post shared by FORMULA 1® (@f1) on Jul 28, 2018 at 9:39am PDT

McLaren: "Ok, Fernando. If we did that, we would just have time...it would be only for one timed lap at the end. It would be one at the end."

Alonso: "I don't know, mate. Put whatever tyre you want! The last sector is impossible so, even if you put on a rocket-ship, we will still be 11th."

Exclamations like comparing his Honda power unit to a "GP2 engine" in 2016 and saying "Now we can fight" after his fifth-place finish in Australia this season are regularly aped on social media, but Alonso believes FOM's directors are targeting him specifically

"It was again another radio [call] that FOM is broadcasting. That is their favourite hobby so good luck to them. I don't really understand the meaning," Alonso said.

"What is strange when you are on track and the last sector is super wet, you cannot improve any more probably in the last sector.

"So you know you have a normal conversation, private conversation with the team if it's worth doing another lap with extreme or not.

"At the end we attempted to do another lap with extreme. They seemed to have fun on that but it's annoying sometimes."