After a strong showing in Monaco, the Spanish fans are hyped up to welcome Fernando Alonso for his home race. Fueled by the No.33 trend, his loyal fans will hope the Spaniard grabs his 33rd career win at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
However, the path to Alonso’s goal does not seem to be smooth going given how Red Bull has been dominating the the 2023 season so far. The Austrian constructor has won all races so far with Max Verstappen leading the driver’s standings.
Despite that, fans will turn up in numbers to root for the 41-year-old. However, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko remains skeptical about Alonso securing an emotional win in front of his home support.
Fernando Alonso won’t win in Barcelona claims Helmut Marko
Fernando Alonso secured his last F1 race win during the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix. After a decade, the Spaniard returns to his homeland with the best chance to secure a race win since his Ferrari days.
However, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes Barcelona will be the scene for another Red Bull victory. He said, as reported by SER, “In Barcelona, we will be the favorite. Alonso is surprisingly fast and very consistent, but he could never really challenge Max.”
Alonso had a close duel with Verstappen in the streets of Monte Carlo. The Spaniard secured a provisional pole before Verstappen dismounted him by 0.084 seconds. Alonso forced the Dutchman to drive 50 laps on medium tires and gave a tough fight to the defending champion.
However, Marko believes it will be tough to replicate Monaco GP’s form in Barcelona. He added, “The victory in Monaco was very good. I don’t know if it was our best weekend, but we managed well. It was a matter of staying on the track and seeing what Fernando did.”
Aston Martin and Alonso have enjoyed a purple patch since the start of the season. However, the Austrian has reasons to believe that their good times might be coming to an end.
Helmut Marko claims Aston Martin’s form will dip after July 1
Fernando Alonso has achieved 5 podiums in the first 6 races of the season. The Spaniard claimed the team’s best-ever result during the 2023 Monaco GP with a P2. He is currently 3rd in the driver’s standings with 93 points.
Red Bull’s Helmut Marko believes the Spaniard’s streak could come to an end by the summer break. Marko believes Aston Martin will be much less successful after July 1st.
Just incredible! 💚#SpanishGP #IAM pic.twitter.com/Ou1Tmu3F06
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) June 1, 2023
The reason being the FIA will reset every team’s wind tunnel hours allocated to each team. Aston Martin finished 7th in 2022, hence they were allotted the 6th highest percentage of wind tunnel testing. They had 37% more wind tunnel testing than champions Red Bull.
However, around the halfway mark, the team is expected to be 2nd or 3rd in the standings. This will cause a decrease in the win tunnel hours and give an advantage to Mercedes and Ferrari, who are currently below the Silverstone-based team.
Alonso remains positive about securing his 33rd and his team’s first-ever F1 race victory. Though the driver claims it will be tough to defeat Max Verstappen and Red Bull, who are enjoying an indomitable form.
