Frustrations appeared to boil over as the McLaren’s of Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button both retired from the Canadian Grand Prix after suffering mechanical dramas.
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Alonso blasted his team during the race, saying he was made to look like an “amateur” after being told to save fuel by his engineers.
“I don’t want! I don’t want!” Alonso is quoted as saying by Autosport.
“Already I have big problems now. Driving with this, looking like an amateur. So I race and then I concentrate on fuel.”
The two-time world champion was forced to retire for the third consecutive race after suffering exhaust dramas.
Alonso insisted he was not frustrated with his team, saying it was simply a “disagreement” over fuel-saving tactics.
“It was just a disagreement on when to save fuel,” Alonso said.
“Different parts of a race require different techniques of driving, so when you are in the middle of a battle, fuel is a low priority in that moment.
“You will have time later to focus on fuel. Let me race and then I’ll save fuel later.”
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton held off sustained pressure from teammate Nico Rosberg to claim his fourth race win of the year, extending his championship lead to 17 points over Rosberg.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel stormed from 17th to fifth to keep pace with the Mercedes duo in the drivers’ championship, with the German sitting 26 points behind Rosberg heading into the Austrian Grand Prix.
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