“Too Good to Be True”: Fernando Alonso Opines Whether Aston Martin Can Run for The 2023 Title

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin made a blockbuster entry in the 2023 season with the podium in Bahrain. And with Fernando’s P3 in the season opener, he has now entered the championship as a dark horse.

Alonso gave a tough fight to Mercedes and Ferrari, two of F1’s top 3 teams. The pace and tyre management of the AMR23 was far superior and allowed the Spaniard to overtake Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz despite a resilient battle.

With Aston Martin looking like the 2nd fastest car, the team are expected to be challenging Red Bull for wins sooner rather than later. And this means Nando would probably enter his first title fight since his Ferrari days in 2012.

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Fernando Alonso was blown away by AMR23’s performance

Fernando Alonso bagged his 99th F1 career podium in Bahrain. Despite him putting some spectacular battles on track, neither he nor his team expected such a strong start to the 2023 season.

Alonso revealed post-race, “It was a perfect start. We didn’t expect to be this good at the start. We aimed to be in the Midfield or even to be leading it and getting closer to the top 3 teams. But even a podium wasn’t on the radar.”

The original plan was to push the car to its maximum in the beginning and work with the upgrades later on. But the team back at Silverstone delivers all the credit, says the Spaniard.

Alonso continues, “We found ourselves in the 2nd best car in Bahrain, only behind Red Bull. So this is a big moment for the team. We need to build from here and get closer to the top 3.”

The 35 GP winning driver’s last race win was the 2013 Spanish GP with Ferrari. And after almost a decade, Alonso finds himself again in a potentially race-winning car. Yet, Alonso has not thought about challenging for the Championship yet.

Also Read: Why Fernando Alonso Finishing P3 in Bahrain Is Ominous Sign for Max Verstappen

Does Alonso think Aston Martin can win the 2023 title?

The mood at Aston Martin is positive. The team have ambitious plans to challenge for titles in the coming years. But with Fernando Alonso claiming a podium in his first race, maybe the deadline isn’t far.

However, Alonso chooses not to get carried away by the surreal result. He added, “I have had this feeling since Thursday that it’s ‘too good to be true.’ I always expect that we’ll have to take a step back and get back to reality.”

Despite being closer to Mercedes and Ferrari in the first race, he claims the two can improve over the course of the season. At the same time, Red Bull is in a different league altogether. So it might be too soon to predict if the AMR23 is fit for a title challenge.

According to the Aston Martin driver, the next few races will be decisive. He added, “We’ll see how we perform in Jeddah and Australia. If we perform well in the upcoming two races we will have a great 2023.”

There are certain elements of Jeddah and Melbourne’s Albert Park that cannot be studied in Bahrain. Alonso considers Max Verstappen and Red Bull to be favourites in the long straight of the Jeddah Corniche circuit.

Also Read: Toto Wolff Alarmed by the Gap With Red Bull After Fernando Alonso-Led Aston Martin to Humiliate Mercedes in Bahrain GP