Reigning Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen has had a flying start to the 2023 season as he has won six of the opening eight races, including the last four. And as the Dutchman continues to be on a purple patch, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher sees only Fernando Alonso as one driver that can threaten his dominance at the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix.
While the 47-year-old also praised Mercedes for the improvement they have shown, he yet believes that Aston Martin and Alonso have the best chance of defeating Verstappen. And that is primarily because of the kind of start that Alonso has had to the 2023 season.
“Well done guys, I’m happy! We gave everything again.” 😀
🎥 x @F1#CanadianGPpic.twitter.com/fJ7m64ZE6H
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) June 19, 2023
The Spaniard has already clinched six podiums this season and is currently third in the championship. The only thing that Alonso has failed to achieve so far this season is a win, and that has been down to the brilliance of Verstappen.
No matter how hard the 41-year-old has tried to unleash the full potential of the Aston Martin, Verstappen has always been one step ahead. And despite the dominance that the 25-year-old has shown so far, Schumacher still believes that Alonso could have a strong chance this weekend to challenge the Red Bull driver.
Schumacher believes Alonso has an advantage over Hamilton
While writing in his Sky Sports column, Ralf Schumacher explained why he believes that Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso have an advantage over Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton going into this weekend in Austria. The 41-year-old cited the difference in recent improvements as the main difference.
“I see that Aston Martin has an advantage over Mercedes at the moment with these improvements. And I think that Alonso will be Max Verstappen’s biggest rival at the next race at the Red Bull Ring,” he explained (as quoted by minutod.com).
Schumacher perhaps may believe that Alonso has the biggest chance of beating Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring as it is the Spaniard that has indeed come closest to beating the Dutchman this season. Even in the last race in Canada, Alonso finished right behind Verstappen, with Hamilton behind the Spaniard.
Fernando Alonso has doubts about whether sprint format will favor them
While speaking ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, Fernando Alonso expressed doubts about whether the sprint format will favor him and Aston Martin. As quoted by racer.com, he explained why he does not believe that the sprint format will be “ideal” for his team.
The Spaniard explained how the team still needs to “understand” and “optimize” their package to get the best out of their car this weekend in Austria. Since a sprint format weekend will mean fewer practice sessions, Alonso believes that his team will not have enough time to try out their upgrades.
Alonso then concluded his remarks by stating that his aim is to win a race this year. He believes that his opportunity will come if Max Verstappen and Red Bull were to make a mistake at any point as Aston Martin is going in the right direction. Considering the dominance that the Milton Keynes outfit and the Dutchman have had so far, the question still remains about whether anyone can stop them this season.
