Fernando Alonso (ESP) Aston Martin F1 Team in the FIA Press Conference. 24.08.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 14, Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort, Netherlands, Preparation Day.
Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin is now competing in the Formula 1 equivalent of football’s “Champions League”: a challenge the entire team must rapidly rise to.
Aston Martin translated promising pre-season pace into six podiums in the first eight races with Alonso, who joined from Alpine over the winter, driving the AMR23.
However, neither the Spaniard nor team-mate Lance Stroll have managed to finish higher than fifth since the Canadian Grand Prix back in June, with Team Principal Mike Krack addressing that “side effects from upgrades disrupted its early competitiveness.
Alonso asserts the team wants to recover from its mid-season blip in order to be the second force behind Red Bull until the end of the season.
“It was unexpected, in a way, how competitive the team was from the first race,” Alonso said. “We found ourselves in a very strong position, so we maximised every opportunity in the first few races.
“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. Now in the second part of the year, I think we want to go back to a more competitive position.
“I think everything is so tight now behind Red Bull with Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren – so we want to be in that fight until Abu Dhabi. And that’s the aim.”
Fernando Alonso (ESP) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR23. 03.03.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir, Bahrain, Practice Day
With widespread expectations having immediately been altered following its storming start to 2023, Alonso contends that Aston Martin must nail every aspect across a race weekend to fight against the very best.
“I think it was a surprise for us that the car was fast, but I think the team was outstanding over the winter, understanding what the problems were last year,” he added. “I think reliability, strategy – everything – 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 free practice one until Sunday.
“I think we are like playing in [the] Champions League at the moment and we are finding ourselves with the very top teams, trying to develop as well as off track. This is going to be the biggest challenge for Aston Martin now.”
Alonso is hopeful that the new parts will bring a performance improvement to its current car while also aiding with developing the “direction” for its 2024 package.
To get a clear direction, not only for this year but also for next year, in terms of direction on the car,” the two-time F1 champion explained regarding what he expects from the updates.
“I think in Canada we brought some new parts, as well as Silverstone, and now these new aerodynamic parts that we bring here, hopefully are performing as we expect.”
Pressed on whether he was predicting a podium on Sunday, Alonso wryly said: “I hope so.”
Keyword: Alonso: Aston Martin must adapt to competing in F1’s ‘Champions League’