Fernando Alonso is surely a cheerful man now. After switching from Alpine, his Aston Martin journey so far has been nothing but mesmerizing. Alonso finally dropped his verdict on Mercedes and Ferrari as he picked up yet another podium in Jeddah.
According to Formel1.de, the Spanish driver said that Aston Martin was the second-fastest team. They were way ahead of Ferrari and controlled Mercedes in an unconventional fashion.
100th Podium ! What an amazing TEAM we have and fast car! Proud of you @AstonMartinF1 💙. pic.twitter.com/ozhApWJbc1
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) March 19, 2023
Alonso went on to say that he gained seven or eight seconds on George Russell in the first stint and five seconds on the second stint. He also said that the AMR23 was over 30 seconds clear of the SF23s.
The 41-year-old now sits 14 and 13 points behind leader Max Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez. Regarding the constructors’ championship, the Silverstone-based team is on P2, leveled with Mercedes at 38 points.
Jeddah brought out the beast in AMR23
According to team principal Mike Krack, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit race brought out the beast that was hiding in Aston Martin. The Saudi Arabian street circuit unleashed the AMR23 in such a fashion that Alonso retained his podium, and Lance Stroll showed promise.
As per Motorsport.com, Krack said that the second race of the season confirmed AMR23’s potential. Admittedly, apart from Stroll’s DNF, the British team had everything to celebrate in Jeddah.
A moment to remember. 💚
AMF1 team members came together late on Sunday to celebrate the news of @alo_oficial‘s reinstated P3 finishing position.#SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/x7Av5QYDMa
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) March 21, 2023
Apart from the RB-19s, the AMR23s were the cars that dominated the track. With huge points in their bag already despite one DNF, Aston Martin looks to be the team to dethrone Ferrari and Mercedes this year.
The Spaniard’s win is now the wait of the hour
The first two races of the 2023 F1 season saw the 41-year-old pickup two podiums. With the latest reinstated prize, the former Ferrari driver completed his haul of 100th podiums in his F1 career.
However, it’s not just the podium he might be interested in anymore. With wins in sight, the El Plan might just affect Red Bull’s bad day.
Given the British team is the second fastest now, any DNF or retirement from the top two drivers will open the door for the former McLaren driver to win. With 32 wins under his belt, Alonso might just break the curse that hopped on him after the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix win.
