Aston Martin's in-form driver Fernando Alonso delighted with giant strides the team have made; Alonso also explains why Max Verstappen is achieving his "100 per cent" best form more often than any driver right now - but why he'd also back himself to reach the same level of form
Wednesday 30 August 2023 08:42, UK
Fernando Alonso has compared Aston Martin's adjustment to competing at the front of the Formula 1 grid in 2023 to a football team qualifying for the Champions League for the first time.
Aston Martin have been the surprise package of the 2023 season, with Alonso third in the drivers' standings after 13 races, trailing only runaway world championship leader Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
After claiming a remarkable six podiums in the first eight races of the season for the team that finished seventh in last year's constructors' standings, Alonso and Aston Martin were brought back down to earth as the 42-year-old failed to finish inside the top four in each of the four races ahead of the summer break.
However, speaking before bouncing back with a brilliant second-place in a chaotic rain-hit Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, Alonso urged patience around the team's performance.
"Let's say it was unexpected, in a way, how competitive the team was," the two-time world champion said. "From the first race we found ourselves in a very strong position so we maximised every opportunity in the first few races.
"And then in the last few events, we were maybe not as competitive as the first part of the year but we still scored points in every single weekend
"This is Formula 1 and these things are changing so quickly. So, I think it was a surprise for us. The car was fast, but I think the team was outstanding over the winter, understanding what the problems were last year
"I think reliability, everything, the strategy, we did things really good in most of the races to get those results. It's not only the pace of the car - you need to master everything in the weekend from practice one until Sunday.
"And then, I think we are like playing in Champions League at the moment and we are finding ourselves with the very top teams, trying to over develop off-track and this is going to be the biggest challenge for Aston Martin now."
While Alonso's wait for a 33rd career win was extended by Verstappen's record-equalling ninth successive victory on Sunday, the Spaniard delivered further evidence that he remains one of the best drivers on the grid.
Since the pair took two wins each from the opening four races, Verstappen's dominance of team-mate Perez has become a talking point, with Alonso asked about it after the race in Zandvoort.
While offering generous praise to Verstappen, which he has done all season, Alonso expressed belief that drivers such as himself and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton could compete with the Dutchman.
"It is underestimated sometimes what Max is achieving," Alonso said after Sunday's race. "I think to win in such a dominant matter in any of the professional sports, it is so complicated.
"So to be at the same level of him, obviously, we have a lot of self-confidence, drivers in general, so I do believe that I can do good as well.
"I don't know about Lewis, but me, yes… and Lewis as well, and everyone, I think you need to enter in a mood, in a state that you are connected with a car.
"I think days like today, I felt that I was at my best and have been giving 100 per cent of what I felt and my abilities on a racing car, but maybe in Spa I was not at that level or in Austria, or something like that.
"So, you always feel that there is room to improve and you are not 100 per cent happy with yourself, as I am today, and I think Max is achieving that 100 per cent more often than us at the moment, than any of the drivers, so that's why he's dominating."
Next up for the F1 circus is Monza, the Temple of Speed, which is the last European race of the season. All sessions from the Italian GP will be live on Sky Sports F1 from this Friday. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW for just £26 a month for 12 months. Cancel anytime
