Fernando Alonso is having a renaissance in his career. He has bagged six podiums in the eight races he started this season. However, his former teammate Esteban Ocon recently opined that the Spaniard hasn’t improved ever since he left Alpine. But, the 41-year-old driver believes the stark opposite of his friend turned foe.
The output by Alonso in the new Aston Martin was incredibly unprecedented. Compared to his teammate, he looks more impressive and has made the Silverstone-based team arguably look like the second-fastest team on the grid.
And Alonso is enjoying his time. So much so that he believes that his current form is better than what he was when he was bagging wins in F1 every week and also dethroned Michael Schumacher as the biggest thing in the sport.
Fernando Alonso believes he has never been better
In 2005 and 2006, no driver was better than Alonso on the grid. He was a force to reckon with and even sealed two consecutive titles in a row. But for the Spaniard, his current version at 41 is better than the young, dynamic self.
“I would say that now I am a better driver than in 2005 and 2006,” said Alonso to CNN. “I have realized that I have more experience. I have more technical knowledge about what the car needs and about how the sport works.”
Though, Ocon is not entirely wrong. Even last year, while the season was going on, Alonso claimed he was in the best form of his career. Nevertheless, it’s beneficial for Aston Martin until the 32 Grand Prix winner still believes it, as bigger objectives are ahead.
The pursuit of 33
It’s been over 10 years since Alonso last won a race in F1. And the two-time world champion wants to break that unending drought. Therefore, he seeks an opportunity to guarantee his team’s first-ever win this year.
He earlier identified Monaco and Spain as the possible races to target for a win. But none of the two opportunities landed him the much-desired result. Yet, the season is long, and the objective is still alive, as Aston Martin is bringing in new developments to catch up with the unbeatable Red Bull.
But this aim is for 2023. With Alonso, Aston Martin wants to be a title contender soon enough, and possibly they will target 2024 as the year where they would want to have regular wins and give tough time to the big boys at the table.
