Leclerc, Verstappen expect even stronger Aston Martin in Bahrain GP

After topping FP2 and FP3, Alonso confirmed Aston Martin’s giant leap forward by qualifying fifth in the AMR23, just six tenths off polesitter Verstappen, with team-mate Lance Stroll qualifying eighth.

Speaking straight after qualifying, Alonso said his pace was almost “too good to be true” but felt that with Aston Martin’s historically stronger race pace he might be able to mount a podium challenge, attacking both Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz who are sharing the second row.

Leclerc expects Aston to “probably quicker than what they’ve shown in qualifying” and therefore agreed that keeping Alonso behind will present a tough challenge.

“They’ve shown a very promising race pace in FP2, but again, FP2, it’s very difficult to judge because you don’t know the fuel level they had in the car,” Leclerc said.

“But I think they will be strong in the race, probably quicker than what they’ve shown in qualifying, even though they were pretty close.”

Even if the rapid Red Bulls are likely out of reach, Verstappen was still wary of the threat posed by the Silverstone outfit.

“Yeah, for sure, they look very competitive,” he added.

“And I think already not only this year but last year. Their car was maybe not that amazing but I think in race pace, they were always quite strong compared to their competitors.

“They probably took that also into this year, so for sure, they will be very competitive in the race, but a bit difficult to tell.”

If Aston Martin’s race pace and tyre management has historically been one of its strong suits, then the opposite is true for Ferrari which struggled with tyre degradation throughout 2022.

Sainz, who as the fourth-placed starter is the closest target for Alonso, reckons his compatriot will be at least “level or lower on degradation” than the Ferraris, with Leclerc at least having the benefit of starting on a new set of tyres compared to scrubbed sets for Sainz and Alonso.

“It is true that we beat them in quali, but in the race we expect them to be level or lower on degradation than us so it’s going to be a tough Sunday,” Sainz thought. 

“But I always go into a race thinking we can win. I know how to fight [Alonso] well, but it will be good fun having him up there.”

When asked if Aston’s true pace was in any way a surprise after dominating paddock conversation since pre-season testing, Sainz said: “We knew. Honestly, we knew.

“There’s no secret…