At the age of 41, Fernando Alonso scored his 99th podium in Formula 1 in Bahrain, beaten only by the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
The start of the Grand Prix was far from ideal for the Spaniard however, as Alonso dropped a number of places following contact with his teammate Lance Stroll.
Alonso found himself battling with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell and as he slowed down and pulled wide as part of a manoeuvre, he was tagged on the rear by Stoll and was fortunate not to spin.
The 41-year-old was also very lucky not to pick up a puncture or any lasting damage, allowing him to recover from the incident and finish in P3, albeit with the help of Charles Leclerc’s shock retirement.
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“I have been hit in Turn 4, they cannot do that,” Alonso told his team over the radio, clearly unaware as to who he had made contact with.
The veteran repeatedly asked his race engineer Chris Cronin who hit him and if they had received a penalty, to which Cronin repeatedly replied by similar telling Alonso that no further action had been taken by race control.
Aston Martin refused to tell Alonso that it was his teammate that hit him but during Sky Sports’ broadcast of the race Martin Brundle suggested that the Aston Martin driver would not be too annoyed with the incident.
It was an unlucky collision that was mainly down to the fact that Alonso was slowing down and cutting in as part of his battle with the Mercedes, meaning that Stroll could do little to prevent the contract.
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Alonso was able to watch the first lap incident in the cool down room on his way to the podium following the race and as Brundle predicted, he did not look at all fazed by the footage.
The Aston Martin driver went as far as to praise Stroll in his post-race interview, telling Nico Rosberg that the Canadian had done a phenomenal job to finish in P6 after the recent wrist surgery which kept him out of pre-season testing last week.
A podium finish was the perfect way for Aston Martin to start the year, as they target a third-place finish in the championship at least this season.