Fernando Alonso’s second-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix was his sixth podium of the season.
The two-time world champion lost his place to Lewis Hamilton at the start of the race but successfully held off George Russell to stay third.
Alonso’s return to second never looked in doubt as the Spaniard pursued Hamilton with ferocity, eventually regaining his place mid-way through the race.
The pair were involved in a near collision during lap 12 when a safety car was deployed.
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As the drivers entered the pits, Hamilton pulled out inches in front of Alonso who was forced the hit the brakes to avoid a collision.
The move angered Alonso who swerved his steering wheel, making his emotions known.
Pace and consistency were key as Alonso held onto his place and finished the race in second.
However, a team mix-up disrupted Alonso, who was chasing his first race win since 2013.
His Aston Martin team thought he may have a fuel system issue and urged the driver to “lift and coast.”
Such a demand only welcomed pressure from third-placed Lewis Hamilton who, on Mercedes orders, was made aware that Aston Martin may have a problem.
Team principal, Mike Krack, has since revealed that the team made a mistake and misread the data.
“We thought we had a problem on the fuel system, but we were not sure,
“As a precaution, we sent the message to save some fuel and do some lift and coast.
“How much it cost us? It’s difficult to judge. A few tenths, one or two per lap maybe.
“It was a precautionary thing but you can chose between not finishing and arriving with a bit more,
“So we wanted to be safe.
“We had a problem on the fuel system. We thought we had a problem on the fuel system which did not materialise in the end.”
Nonetheless, Alonso finished above Hamilton, taking him within nine points of Sergio Perez.
Sergio Perez’s bad run continues
The Mexican suffered another disappointing qualifying weekend and started the race down in 12th.
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Perez was able to climb the pack and finish 6th but he will know it was another chance squandered to reduce the gap on teammate Max Verstappen.
Verstappen now boasts a healthy lead over his teammate with 69 points separating the pair.
After winning in Saudia Arabia and Azerbaijan, Perez’s title dreams looked to be coming true.
Now it seems the Mexican must focus on podium finishes as his run of poor form has led to speculation over his future at Red Bull.