No one could have imagined a season like Fernando Alonso did at Aston Martin last year. After two hellish years at Alpine, the Asturian signed for two seasons with Aston Martin, taking the position of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettelwho retires in 2022.
Aston Martin wanted to create a car that would surprise even Fernando himself. The technical geniuses signed by the English team helped create a very fast car that from the beginning was the main alternative to the almighty. red bull, and Alonso’s talent did the rest. however, time has become less: the innovation in the construction of Pirelli tires introduced in Silverstonethe great development of single-seaters by some teams like McLaren and some improvements of that Aston Martin inadequate gave a blow of reality to Alonso’s fans, who saw how in the end the expected did not come success number 33.
At 42 years old, although looking much younger, Fernando Alonso faces his second season with the British team. Putting aside its uncertain future and the rumors that surface every week, if we focus on this season, The fans have lower expectations than the previous campaignbut the Asturian is confident of winning a race 11 years later.
This year is expected to be the second part of what 2023 was: A dominant Red Bull – with a Max Verstappen eager to win his fourth consecutive championship – and a close fight for second place, being Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin the favorites.
Will Alonso be better in 2024 than 2023?
Fernando Alonso finished fourth in the 2023 world championship drivers’ classification with 206 points. The Asturian climbed 8 podiums: 5 times as third and 3 as second, as the Monaco GP the circuit where he is closest to reach the first position. Let’s review the Aston Martin driver podiums from the 2023 season.
1
Bahrain GP: 3rd
“It’s a great car to drive”
Alonso’s 2023 season couldn’t have started in the best way. Although in qualifying it remained in 5th position -behind Ferrari and Red Bull- Aston Martin has warned that they will be “very fast in the race”. The overtaking of Sainz and Hamilton made the Asturian climb to his 99th podium. Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen will complete the podium. “This is a lovely car to drive,” Alonso acknowledged on the radio.
2
Saudi Arabia GP: 3rd
A podium celebrated twice
Fernando showed the same sensation as in Bahrain and achieved his 100th podium. Max and “Checo” swapped positions and the Mexican won his first race of the season. However, the FIA sanctioned Alonso because one of his mechanics touched his car while he was serving a penalty for “incorrectly” positioning himself at the start, and Alonso lost third place to George Russell. A battle at the Aston Martin offices allowed the FIA to correct and return third place to the British team driver.
3
Australian GP: 3rd
The red flags, the safety cars and the fear between Alonso and Sainz
If one saw nothing but the podium at the Melbourne GP, they would think it was a boring race with no surprises apart from Lewis Hamilton’s appearance on the podium. However, this race was one of the craziest of the year. The entire race is marked by safety cars. In fact, the race itself ends with the cars crossing the finish line chasing the safety car. Alex Albon, George Russell and Kevin Magnussen had to drop out. At the start after the second red flag, Carlos Sainz was too aggressive in the first corner and gave Fernando a touch that sent him out of the points zone, but luckily the Aston Martin came out unscathed. Adding to this threat, the two Alpines collide and end up in a spectacular accident, and behind them, Logan Sargeant eats Nyck de Vries’ AlphaTauri. The chaotic restart was declared invalid and, finally, the drivers started – for the last time – the race, crossing the finish line with the safety car and with a podium formed by Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso.
4
Miami GP: 3rd
Red Bull is too fast
Although expectations were lower after fourth place at the Azerbaijan GP, Alonso shone to be second in qualifying, just behind Pérez. Not having Verstappen at the front allowed us to dream everything, and Aston Martin did not hide the possibility of winning, but in the race the Asturian could not do anything to the Red Bulls, who achieved another double. However, he managed to return to the podium, his fourth year in five races.
5
Monaco GP: 2nd
What if they put in intermediates?
One of the most bitter races last season for Alonso. Although this was actually the first circuit where he reached the second position, it was also the day where he came closest to the expected victory as 33. . Alonso didn’t hide it: “If I say I don’t think about winning, I’m lying.” The Spaniard was ahead in the standings until Max Verstappen overtook him on the last lap by just 84 thousandths. Already in the race, the Dutchman seemed out of reach in the dry, but when it started to rain in some corners, Fernando and the Aston Martin engineers hesitated between fitting a medium or intermediate tire. They finally chose the first, but the strategy did not work and the driver had to return to the pits on the next lap. This decision did not allow the Asturian to overtake Max Verstappen who at that time was having problems with his old tires. However, Alonso took his first 2nd place in a 2023 Grand Prix.
6
Canadian GP: 2nd
Brutal rivalry between Alonso and Hamilton
Max Verstappen dominated the Canadian Grand Prix from start to finish, but the battle for second place was very close until the checkered flag. Fernando Alonso lost second place at the start in favor of Lewis Hamilton, but he managed to regain it on the track and after a heartbreaking final stint, he crossed the finish line in second, with the Briton finally having to settle for for the podium.
7
Netherlands GP: 2nd
Good improvement and a great Alonso
After a month off and some circuits where Aston Martin is not at the same level as at the beginning of the season. The Zandvoort circuit was a turning point. Aston Martin showed improvements and the car looks like the one from the first races. If you add to that the brilliant performance of Fernando Alonso, with a double overtaking in the third corner after the start, fastest lap and driver of the day, it all ended on the seventh podium and for the third time he was second, behind his usual, Verstappen.
8
Brazilian GP: 3rd
Alonso fights Pérez for podium “in extremis”
Fernando’s final podium started a race with many incidents: from Charles Leclerc in the warm-up lap due to a hydraulic failure to the red flag due to an accident in which several drivers were affected. Fortunately, Alonso had no problem and was able to pass Hamilton at the start. Sergio Pérez, who was sixth after the red flag, overtook the two Mercedes drivers to put himself behind Alonso. The Spaniard drove superbly to hold off Perez for the final podium spot by just 0.053 seconds after they swapped positions in the final two laps, lifting the crowd from their seats.
This is Fernando Alonso’s 8 podiums in 2023. How many will we see in 2024?
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
