Two DNFs, no Q3 appearances, and not a single point scored as of yet. It’s been a torrid opening to the 2025 season for Fernando Alonso. Crashing out in Australia and then suffering a brake issue in China, which forced him to retire, the two-time world champion has been nowhere close to being as competitive as he aspires.
The Spaniard is still pointless in the drivers’ standings, with Lance Stroll doing the heavy lifting for Aston Martin so far. To further rub salt into his wounds, the Bahrain GP qualifying also hasn’t gone to plan exactly. Alonso couldn’t even progress out of Q2 and will start 13th on the grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday.
That said, the 43-year-old is still emanating the fighting spirit that the fans have started attributing to him. Despite the fallacies with the AMR25, Alonso has set the target of a points finish terming it as a ‘small victory’.
“I’m not giving up, it might be a long season, but we’re ready for the challenge, if we can score points it will be a small victory,” he said after the qualifying session at the Sakhir International Circuit. But given where Aston Martin stand, Alonso would be admittedly aiming a bit too high.
Before the Bahrain GP weekend, the #14 driver himself claimed that points are an “impossible task” with the kind of pace the AMR25 has shown in this season. “Points are an impossible task with the performance we have, and we shouldn’t demand points because we have what we have,” he told AS. So, what are the chances that he defies his own assessment in Bahrain?
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For Alonso, the Grand Prix on Sunday will be a herculean task if he wants to get to the points. The Alpines have looked quick after Pierre Gasly’s stunning Q3 lap to secure fifth place. With his teammate, Jack Doohan in P11, Alonso could have a hard time passing the A525.
Moreover, the Racing Bulls car has looked quick all throughout the season so far, and with Isack Hadjar right ahead of Alonso, the Spaniard could face some struggles in passing the French-Algerian youngster.
What Alonso and Aston Martin need to do in Bahrain
The AMR25 has looked like a tricky car to extract the pace from. Yet, Alonso’s teammate, Stroll, has bagged a couple of points-scoring positions in earlier rounds. But at the Sakhir International Circuit, the two-time world champion will have to put in a special performance to break his own duck.
As explained, the midfield this season is packed in very closely. Hence, any advantage that the 43-year-old can get over the likes of Alpine and Racing Bulls will be crucial for his chances in the Grand Prix.
While Gasly may be out of touch for the former Ferrari and McLaren driver, his teammate, Doohan—who is a rookie—can be easier to spook, maybe into the turn 10 left-hander on the opening laps.
Hadjar, though, might be immune to Alonso’s wily racecraft given his own rising confidence after a stellar job at the Japanese GP, last weekend. At the end of the day, it might all come down to how efficient the Aston Martin pit wall is in terms of strategy, given the race will play out on how well teams can strategize around the high tire degradation in Bahrain.
