Fernando Alonso ‘Proud’ of Achieving Bare Minimum for His Standards as His Team Struggles to Find Pace in Suzuka

Fernando Alonso has single-handedly been responsible for bringing most of the points to Aston Martin this season. With each race, the challenge to keep up with the other teams keeps getting tougher for the 42-year-old. The Japanese GP served as another example as Alonso barely managed to make it into Q3, where he eventually finished last. Despite the struggles, Race Fans quotes the Asturian as being proud of everything his team has achieved this season.

Having made every Q3 this season, qualifying in P10 is the bare minimum by Alonso’s standards. The 42-year-old has seven podiums this season, only adding to his capabilities as an impressive driver despite his age. However, because Aston Martin fell behind in the development race and a lack of support from partner Lance Stroll, Alonso finds himself out of sorts to continue fighting in the front of the grid.

Fernando Alonso happy with all that Aston Martin has achieved

In a race that has mostly been about McLaren and Red Bull, Aston Martin and Alonso did well during the Qualifying sessions to leave their mark in Suzuka.

With Alonso equaling his worst starting position of the season, he continued his perfect Qualifying run of 2023. In a track that was a “concern” for the team, Alonso claimed he was proud of the team’s achievement, as reported by Race Fans.

“Even on difficult days we still managed to be in Q3 thanks to a very good lap. So this type of qualifying, again, they will be unnoticed for many people, but I’m very proud.”

Although he has had a satisfactory season, Alonso believes the stats won’t matter when the season ends. The 42-year-old recently claimed that there is only one race that will make or break Aston Martin’s season, and no number of podiums will be able to change that.

Abu Dhabi to decide Aston Martin’s season

In a recent interview, Alonso claimed that only one race in the season will determine if Aston Martin has had a good or a bad season. Naming the race, the Spaniard says the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi will be the all-important one. He hopes to be able to vie for a podium finish, as it will boost the team’s morale for the next season. However, he no longer hopes for the elusive no. ’33’ this season.

 

💥🗣️| Fernando Alonso after the qualifying:

“This kind of qualifying will go unnoticed by many people but I’m proud”.

“My level is the same as it has been all season”. pic.twitter.com/KRr1DzQjx6

— Aston Martin Formula 1 News (@AMF1News) September 23, 2023

With a podium finish becoming increasingly difficult, a race win is entirely out of the question for Alonso. Starting the race in Japan in P10, the Spaniard would be hoping for a finish in the points with the target of finishing P8 at the least.