How Mick Schumacher almost ruined Fernando Alonso magic

Alonso, Schumacher, Qatar — Photo: © LAT Images

Qatar Grand Prix

How Schumacher almost ruined Alonso magic

Alonso secured a podium but Schumacher came close to undoing the hard work

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Tuesday 23 November 2021 16:00 Updated: 16:13

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Mick Schumacher has provided an explanation for the incident that almost ruined Fernando Alonso's first podium since making his comeback to F1.

Alonso secured third at the Qatar Grand Prix to clinch his first top-three finish since Hungary 2014, although towards the end of the race at the Losail International circuit his hopes almost took a hit from Haas backmarker Schumacher.

The German suffered a snap of oversteer on entry to the high-speed turn 15 left-hander and whilst fighting to bring his VF-21 back on track before reaching the gravel, swiped across the front of Alonso's Alpine.

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“I just pushed the entry a bit too much, I got onto the kerb, I kind of threw the rear out," explained Schumacher.

"So I was happy I kept it on track because obviously at that speed it’s quite easy to lose it properly and shoot the other way.

“I just tried to focus on getting the car back on track because we had a gravel patch coming up in front of me so it didn’t help.

“I was conscious of the fact I had to come back safely.”

Schumacher pleased with Haas handling of tyre issues

The race in Qatar was plagued by punctures for four drivers as tyre wear and high-loads combined to wreak havoc.

Schumacher, however, was happy with how Haas approached the race and was never concerned by a potential failure.

“It was a tough race, a fun race," added Schumacher. "It was the first time we had the opportunity to really push all race through, and we were actually going fast towards the end of the race so that was a first for me.

“The way we analysed the situation before the race was good. We made the C3, C2 [tyre compounds] stick, and I wasn’t really afraid of any punctures on our side.”