How an F1 legend almost tore his team 'apart' because the car was too slow

A Formula 1 team principal has revealed that their star driver could have ripped them apart following one particularly challenging race last season.

The 2023 Mexican Grand Prix was dominated by Max Verstappen, who breezed home to clinch his 16th race victory of a remarkable season which ended with the Dutchman collecting his third consecutive drivers' title.

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The showpiece event in Mexico City provided huge drama for fans, as Kevin Magnussen's crash on lap 35 saw the stewards wave the red flag to bring a halt to the proceedings.

Home-favourite Sergio Perez was already back in the pits by that stage after his challenge ended at Turn 1 following a collision with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, much to the disappointment of his supporters.

Fernando Alonso experienced a frustrating afternoon too, having been forced to retire after a suffering floor damage while battling it out at the rear of the grid.

It was the latest in a long line of recent disappointments for the Spaniard, who had made a stunning start to the campaign, clinching six podiums in his first eight races, before performances dropped.

Reflecting on the fallout from that weekend, Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has hailed the Spaniard for being a 'team player', insisting it would have been easy for the former world champion to let his frustrations boil over.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Krack said: "In order to create a good basis of trust, you always have to be honest with each other.

“If we just take the race in Mexico last year as an example, we gave Fernando a car that was probably the slowest in the field.

“It would have been easy for him to express his frustration publicly in the media, but we managed to keep him from tearing us apart - that shows what a team player he is.”

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