We heard Spanish at Formula 1 this past Saturday at the Miami Grand Prix. After the mistakes made by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, the Spanish-speaking drivers finished in the top three at Saturday's qualifying, something that did not go unnoticed on the track or on social media. At the FIA press conference with the top three, and seated on the left in the second-place spot, Fernando Alonso ignored the protocol that requires drivers to answer in English and answered in Spanish. "I won't say anything wrong, but I'm going to answer in Spanish," he said in English, before switching to Spanish: "For all the Spanish-speaking people, I think it's a great day to have a Mexican and two Spaniards in Formula 1 in a time trial for the first time I think in history. We are the second most spoken language on the planet and we also deserve to respond in Spanish," he said.
💥 Aquí está el CLIP en el que Fernando Alonso habla en ESPAÑOL en la rueda de prensa.
🇪🇸 "Somos la segunda lengua más hablada del planeta y MERECEMOS hablar en ESPAÑOL".#F1 #MiamiGP 🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/UsWZM6j4xS
— Fórmula Directa (@FormulaDirecta) May 6, 2023
Alonso replied in Spanish while sitting next to Carlos Sainz. Sergio Perez was also sitting with them, who finished first in yesterday's time trial. Although he ended up answering the questions in English, he jokingly said in Spanish "Should I answer in Spanish?" He did not go as far as Alonso, but he clearly defended the Spanish language even though he did so in English. What happened today "shows that the Hispanic community can still fight."
There was a funny moment before the press conference. Checo Perez joined Alonso and Sainz, who were speaking in Spanish, and said, "What, are you jerks friends again?" He was referring to what happened in the recent Azerbaijan GP, where, after the race, Alonso said Sainz should have gotten a penalty for running him off the track.
*Update:
In the end, the Hispanics were unable to improve their positions in the standings. Dutch driver Max Verstappen strengthened his lead in the overall standings after finishing first in the Miami Grand Prix. Mexico's Sergio Checo Pérez finished 2nd behind his teammate after starting from pole position. Fernando Alonso completed the podium and Carlos Sainz finished fifth.
