Fernando Alonso’s impressive performance, leading to his second podium finish as an Aston Martin driver, resulted in an unexpected turn of events for his composite technician, Sam Russell. The technician found himself in an intriguing bet against Alonso, and as they say, never bet against the Spanish racing legend.
Joining the Aston Martin team ahead of the current Formula 1 season, Fernando Alonso made an immediate impact. He secured a remarkable third-place finish at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, where he stood as the closest challenger to the Red Bull duo.
As the team headed to Saudi Arabia, there was an attempt to manage expectations, with Aston Martin’s team boss, Mike Krack, downplaying their chances. However, Sam Russell, Alonso’s composite technician, ended up falling for it and made a bet with a colleague, Mark.
Russell revealed the details of the bet, saying, “I lost a bet in Saudi Arabia with Mark, a guy I work with. He said, ‘If we get a podium, I get to design the tattoo and pay for it, but you have to get it.’ And I was like, ‘Okay.’ I didn’t think we would get one.”
To everyone’s surprise, the car proved to be competitive, and Alonso claimed a podium finish once again. Russell found himself needing to fulfill the bet, but there was a twist in the story. Initially, Alonso was penalized with a five-second penalty for work conducted on the car during an in-race penalty, seemingly putting the tattoo bet on hold.
The stewards had ruled that Aston Martin had worked on the car when Alonso came in to serve the penalty, but the team argued that the rear jackman, not Sam Russell (as he handles the front wheel), had touched the car as he slid the jack into place.
In a dramatic turn of events, the stewards overturned the penalty, reinstating Alonso into his third-place finish. This decision meant that Sam Russell had indeed lost the bet and was obligated to get the agreed-upon tattoo.
In summary, Fernando Alonso’s podium finish in Saudi Arabia led to an intriguing bet between the Spanish driver’s composite technician, Sam Russell, and a colleague. Despite initial complications with a penalty, Alonso’s third-place finish was upheld, and Russell found himself having to follow through on the bet and get a tattoo, proving once again that betting against a racing legend like Alonso is a risky proposition.
