Fernando Alonso “knows what he’s doing” after Lewis Hamilton qualifying tow

Fernando Alonso secured P4 in qualifying for the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in part thanks to a few extra tenths that Lewis Hamilton assisted him with.

With Hamilton finishing his final lap in Q3 on Friday, Alonso found himself in his old rival’s slipstream.

The Aston Martin driver protested his innocence but wasn’t believed by everyone in the paddock.

Asked if he intentionally seeked a tow from Hamilton, Alonso told Sky Sports: “No. I knew that it was tight with him. I didn’t want to be in Lewis’ way in the last corner.

“I said ‘it is better to let him go’.

“My tyres had cooled down a bit. So that was not ideal. I lost one tenth but gained one tenth with the tow, so it compensated.

“It’s so difficult leaving the pitlane now, and leaving those seconds in front of you, to calculate where you will be against the leaders and the front pack.”

But Bernie Collins, the ex-Aston Martin strategy engineer, did not believe him.

“Fernando has been around a long time,” Collins said.

“He knows what he is doing. He knows what his race engineer is saying.

“Hamilton is coming through on a fast lap. His race engineer might have said ‘stay ahead of him’.

“And he’s thinking ‘I will just let him go by, do a nice thing, and get a nice tow down the main straight!’

“Fernando knows what he’s doing there.”

Naomi Schiff added: “We see him set himself up perfectly to get that tow.

“Now whether he got it or not, that’s exactly what he was trying to do.

“ There is a constant headwind down the straight here. If you’ve got a car in front, punching a hole for you, that will inevitably do you justice.

“Smart from Alonso. He should take the credit. He put himself in a great position.”

Alonso will line up behind Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix starting grid.

He said about a podium finish: “That would be a massive surprise. In Bahrain we saw our natural position. We have our feet on the ground.

“I am super happy. So far, the questions are about if I am disappointed, which surprises me.

To be on the second row of the grid, we cannot be disappointed right now.

“Five days ago in Bahrain we were the fifth-fastest team. Now to be in the mix, at least in a one-lap performance, it’s great news.

“We need to re-confirm tomorrow. In Bahrain we were strong on one lap but not so strong in race pace. We made changes to improve that.”