For the last decade, almost everything Fernando Alonso has done in motorsport has been fuelled by an absolute belief that is one of the elite – if not the most elite – drivers on the planet today.
For his 20th season in Formula 1, with 355 grands prix under his belt, Alonso made the jump from Alpine to Aston Martin. For a driver who has doggedly pursued a third world championship that so far remains excruciatingly out of his grasp for, Alonso’s move into British Racing Green felt like a last roll of the dice in his quest to finally return to the front of the field.
It turned out to be the best move Alonso has made in over a decade. Not only did F1’s most experienced driver enjoy his most successful season since 2013, he proved he is still more than capable of competing at the very front of the field.
Alonso’s arrival already made Aston Martin one of the most intriguing teams heading into the new season, but their impressive testing pace only inflated the hype higher. At the opening round in Bahrain, Alonso was quickest of all in the final two practice sessions before qualifying fifth on the grid. Despite being tagged by team mate Lance Stroll on the opening lap, Alonso overtook both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jnr to move up into third place where he would finish, taking a memorable podium finish on his first outing as an Aston Martin driver.
The next round in Saudi Arabia confirmed Aston Martin as the second fastest team behind Red Bull. After qualifying third, Alonso was promoted onto the front row of the grid thanks to Charles Leclerc’s penalty. He sent the Aston Martin garage into rapture when he beat Sergio Perez off the line to take the lead but only stayed there a handful of laps before he inevitably lost the position. Despite a time penalty for an incorrect starting position, Alonso managed to hold off George Russell to secure his second straight podium – the 100th of his career.
Although Aston Martin were not as strong in Melbourne as the opening two rounds relative to their rivals, Alonso found himself on the podium once more. This required a bit of luck, however, as after spending the vast majority of the race behind Hamilton unable to get by the Mercedes, Alonso was hit and spun around by Carlos Sainz Jnr at the final restart, but allowed to reclaim his original restart position of third for the finish thanks to the third red flag.
Baku was the first time Alonso failed…
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