Fernando Alonso, who was a regular in podium contention in the opening races of the year, has faded away from the top now. His and Aston Martin’s slump continued in Japan when the Spaniard could muster only an eighth-place finish. Now, a frustrated Alonso feels that Aston Martin didn’t bring as much to the table as the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes did, according to AS.com.
Nice race and very good pace from the car today. Japan always leaves me with a smile 😃. Happy with the start and happy that we have been fast. More points for the team and on to the next one in Qatar. Thank you, Japan. @AstonMartinF1 pic.twitter.com/QAtYbyDNyB
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) September 24, 2023
Alonso’s weekend went off to a dismal start when he just about made it to Q3. Getting a good result was important for Alonso, as he finished the previous race in Singapore out of the points. However, 10th place wasn’t an ideal starting position for Alonso.
Nonetheless, Alonso got a great start to the race, overtaking four cars on the first lap. Unfortunately, a poor strategy saw him get overtaken by the Ferrari and Mercedes cars, hence, nullifying his attempt at getting a strong undercut. Alonso was frustrated once again. Now, he suggests that Aston Martin evidently didn’t do enough.
Fernando Alonso brings Aston Martin’s development into the spotlight
When the season started, Aston Martin was clearly the second-fastest team on the grid. The likes of Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari were all failing to be consistent. In fact, McLaren was struggling to even get into the points.
Now, all three aforementioned teams have out-developed Aston Martin. This has frustrated Alonso, who openly questions his team’s development. In an interview with AS, as quoted by GP Blog, Alonso says, “All teams bring improvements all year round and we may have brought a little less than other teams.”
#JapaneseGP debrief with @alo_oficial.
🇯🇵🏁 pic.twitter.com/BT27Zft3De
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) September 24, 2023
Alonso adds by insisting that in order to get a strong finish to the season, the Silverstone-based team has to work harder than others. They have brought in lesser upgrades, and to compete with the bigger teams, they cannot afford to do that in the long run.
Aston Martin hoping for strong end to the 2023 season
Aston Martin’s season is set to end rather underwhelmingly. The British team, who were once P2, are now in danger of slipping to P5 behind McLaren. Nonetheless, they will be hoping for a strong end to the campaign, to build some momentum heading into 2024.
For Alonso too, proceedings have been extremely frustrating. He was thinking of getting his 33rd race win at one point this season. Now, he finds it tough to get into the podium contention, and as seen in the last two races – into the points as well.
Alonso is currently P4 in the standings, and despite being comfortably in the top three at one stage, is at danger of being overtaken by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in the closing stages of the 2023 season.
