Fernando Alonso – Lewis Hamilton last driver you want to see in mirrors

Fernando Alonso feared his second-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix might be at risk when he saw Lewis Hamilton in his mirrors late in the race.

Alonso secured his sixth podium of the season on Sunday after a race-long battle with Hamilton for second place.

Hamilton initially got past Alonso on the opening lap, but the Aston Martin driver was able to repass the Mercedes on lap 22 at the final chicane.

From that point onwards it appeared as though Alonso would comfortably secure second, but Hamilton offered his former teammate a wake-up call late in the race when he closed the gap to under two seconds.

“The last driver you want to see in your mirrors is Lewis Hamilton when he comes fast!” Alonso said. “But I had a little bit more pace in hand and in the end he was never in the DRS gap so, it was good to finish second. It was like 70 laps of qualifying today.”

Alonso, who has not stood on the top step of the podium since 2013, believes Sunday’s race was the closest he has come to winning a race this year, despite having a shot at victory in the wet at Monaco last month.

“It was close!” he said when it was put to him that he couldn’t quite challenge for victory. “The closest I think.

“I think it was our most competitive race of the year in terms of pace, we were matching the Red Bulls most of the race. Sometimes we lost a little bit of pace, but at one point I thought the race was over and second place was good and then I saw Lewis coming so fast.”

Alonso’s team radio transmissions suggested he was struggling with a brake problem in the second half of the race, but he played down the issue.

“I don’t think it was much, to be honest,” he added. “This is a circuit that sometimes you can give up a little bit on entries to have better exits to the corners.

“We discuss also before the race that lift and coast was maybe needed at one point in the race and things like that. I was ready for that and I don’t think it had an impact on the race result.”