Fernando Alonso remains optimistic about his chances of securing a 33rd victory in 2023. The Spaniard is still looking to secure a first win in F1 since may 2013 when he crossed the finish line in Spain.
This season, Alonso has already made his mark. He clinched second place in the Dutch GP and currently stands at P3 in the championship with 168 points. This places him 33 points behind Sergio Perez (201) and gives him a 12-point lead over Sir Lewis Hamilton (156).
In a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo at the Italian F1 Grand Prix, Alonso emphasized, “age is just a number” in motorsport. For him, “the stopwatch” is the ultimate judge. He firmly believes that as long as drivers maintains their speed and motivation, they remain a contender for the top spot.
A significant highlight of the Dutch GP for Alonso was setting the first-ever fastest lap for Aston Martin in Formula One.
He now holds the record for the longest period between a driver’s first and last fastest lap in F1, a testament to his enduring speed and skill.
Reflecting on his performance in Zandvoort, Alonso shared, “I’m happy with our performance on Sunday in Zandvoort. The whole weekend was good, but Sunday was very good.” He remains hopeful for similar outcomes in upcoming races in Monza and Singapore.
Discussing his chances against the current dominant force in F1 Max Verstappen, Alonso acknowledged the unpredictability of the sport, stating, “There could be some distraction, some problem, some mechanical issue… it’s happened to ‘Checo’ a few times, and it hasn’t happened to him.” He believes that even minor incidents can drastically change the outcome of a race.
“Sometimes you hit a curb here in Monza, and a suspension arm can get twisted, and you lose performance.”
“Leclerc went off into the gravel in Zandvoort for a moment, and suddenly the car loses a second in performance.“
“I went off for a moment in Q1 in Barcelona and destroyed the floor and lost about 7 tenths.”
“One day something like this might happen to Verstappen, and suddenly there’s a chance for a win. The next in line (by natural race position) is ‘Checo’, and the next in line depends on who’s there every weekend… But maybe we’re not on the list this weekend (laughs), and he keeps winning again.”
On the potential circuit where Alonso sees another opportunity to win a race, he said : “Singapore might be a good opportunity on paper. But I think Austin also has a good feeling that the car will be fast there, and the Aston Martins were fast there. Mexico, why not, too. I think it’s not just going to be Singapore. We can’t just think about Singapore; I think there will be more opportunities.”
In a conversation with Sky Sports F1 back in May 2023, Alonso expressed his hopes for a 33rd win in Monaco. He mentioned, “I don’t know. We seem to have a car that is maybe not the fastest on the straights. We need to improve that, but we are very good on the corners. So I would say that the slowest speeds of the championship, let’s say Monaco, Budapest, Singapore. These kind of circuits, I think we put our main hopes at the moment.”
He eventually finished in second position behind Max Verstappen who finished almost 28 seconds ahead..
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