Fernando Alonso has recently claimed that Red Bull are untouchable for the moment and there is no way rivals can come up with a plan to beat Max Verstappen and Co. The Spaniard believes that it is not possible to expect miracles just after a few days, having witnessed the Dutchman dominate during the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend.
Alonso said to SpeedWeek, “I don’t think anyone will be able to beat Red Bull in the near future. They have had a lead for a few years now that they can take with them and you cannot expect miracles five days after the Bahrain GP.”
The RB20 delivered ✨ pic.twitter.com/le1HCyjwsZ
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 3, 2024
Red Bull has been mighty from the onset of the new regulations in 2022. Adrian Newey, the mastermind behind the Austrian team’s success, nailed the cars for the ground effect era and made his team invincible over the last two seasons.
In 2022 and 2023, Red Bull claimed a total of 38 wins out of 44 races and registered several records in the process. As a result of such dominance, Red Bull claimed both championships in both 2022 and 2023. Moreover, the team also achieved their first 1-2 in the Drivers’ Championship last year.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit also seem to have continued their dominance coming into 2024. Max Verstappen won last weekend’s Bahrain GP with a lead of over 22 seconds from Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished a distant third from the race winner. As for Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin, they had a very difficult race weekend.
How did Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin perform in Bahrain?
Much to the disappointment of Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin was only the fifth-fastest team on the grid at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Spaniard finished the race ninth, while Lance Stroll in the other Aston Martin finished the race tenth, having started twelfth.
Ready . @AstonMartinF1 #f1 pic.twitter.com/G2cjZgICkk
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) February 12, 2024
While Alonso had a disappointing race, he did have a decent qualifying as he set the sixth-fastest lap time. However, it was the race pace that let the 42-year-old down.
Aston Martin did not seem to have the performance capable of fighting the likes of Mercedes or even McLaren for the top eight positions. Alonso eventually crossed the line in P9, a whopping 18 seconds behind eighth-placed Oscar Piastri.
As a result of such a difficult weekend, Alonso has confirmed that he has no hopes for the first half of the season. However, he did admit that he is confident about Aston Martin making distinctive progress in the latter half of the season.