Why Fernando Alonso Finishing P3 in Bahrain Is Ominous Sign for Max Verstappen

Fernando Alonso and his fans are on cloud nine after what has been a brilliant start to life for him at Aston Martin. The team was expected to make big strides, but the thought of them being the second fastest car in these early stages was unfathomable.

Alonso started the season opener in Bahrain from P5, but after an exciting race with wheel-to-wheel battles alongside Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz, the Spaniard finished third, which helped him earn his first podium finish since the 2021 Qatar GP.

#OnThisDay in 2005, Fernando Alonso held off world champion Michael Schumacher to win the San Marino GP by two-tenths of a second 😮

It was the Spaniard’s third successive victory after P3 in the season-opener, and the Renault driver went on to claim his first world title 🏆 pic.twitter.com/3cvfEOHQpd

— Channel 4 F1® (@C4F1) April 24, 2018

However, his P3 in Sakhir could also mean that history may repeat itself, come the end of the season. Alonso has won races in the first outing of a season in the past, but the last time he earned a P3 finish in the first round was back in Bahrain in 2005. That was also the year when the Oviedo-born driver won his first-ever world championship.

If history is to repeat itself, Alonso and his fans are in for a treat this year. The 41-year-old is one of the greatest drivers of all time, and if Aston Martin presents him with a car that can fight at the front, Max Verstappen may have to watch out.

Also read: Toto Wolff Alarmed by the Gap With Red Bull After Fernando Alonso-Led Aston Martin to Humiliate Mercedes in Bahrain GP

Bahrain P3 was the beginning of something special, says Fernando Alonso

When Alonso returned to F1 with Alpine in 2021, he made it clear that his goal was not to be in the sport for the sake of it. Before retiring for good, he wanted to fight at the front for race wins and podiums once again.

Unfortunately, the Enstone-based outfit could not provide him with the car to challenge the frontrunners. As a result, when Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement, Alonso jumped in to fill his spot. At that time, it wasn’t clear how good the AMR-23 is going to be but now that the world has seen its potential, the entire fanbase is excited.

Alonso for one, is adamant that his P3 finish in Bahrain was just the beginning, and that this is the start of a long and successful journey.

Also read: How A Family Feud Forbade Ayrton Senna’s Girlfriend From Attending His Final F1 Race

Lance Stroll’s heroics in Bahrain

The first thing that Alonso did after finishing three was congratulate his teammate Lance Stroll. The Canadian driver suffered a biking accident just two weeks ago and had a surgery to treat it, but was behind the wheel of the AMR-23 in time for the season opener.

This duo. 💚#BahrainGPpic.twitter.com/T2QEOsT8hh

— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 7, 2023

Stroll put in one of his best ever performances for the Silverstone-based outfit as he went on to finish P6. Alonso described his teammate as a hero, and said how his quick comeback from injury to deliver a stellar performance in Sakhir was nothing short of inspirational.