Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFormula 1

Very tough to drive after tribute - Alonso

Fernando Alonso says he found it very tough to get in to his McLaren to start the Hungarian Grand Prix following the tribute to Jules Bianchi.

With Hungary the first race since Bianchi passed away, F1 stopped for a minute’s silence on the grid on Sunday. All the drivers placed their helmets on the track and formed a circle around them, with Bianchi’s brother adding the Frenchman’s own helmet. With the tribute taking place 15 minutes before the start of the race, Alonso admits it was difficult to then get in to his car afterwards.

“It was not an easy weekend,” Alonso said. “Especially the beginning of the race with the minute of silence it was very emotional and very tough to get in to the cockpit. But we are 20 people here - very, very lucky people - working in our passion in our sport like Jules did. We are privileged to drive those cars and respecting him, respecting the sport, I think we put on a good show.”

Felipe Massa failed to line up on the grid properly, leading to an aborted start and extra formation lap which also resulted in a penalty for the Brazilian.

When asked if the minute’s silence could have affected his mindset, Massa replied: “I don’t know, maybe, yes. It was not an easy moment.”

REPORT: Vettel wins chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix from Kvyat

Jules Bianchi, 1989 - 2015

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.