Fernando Alonso agrees with Aston Martin’s expert data, claims they can rival Red Bull’s supreme pace at upcoming races

Aston Martin are reportedly closing on the likes of dominant Red Bull, and intend to make life difficult for them in upcoming races.

Fernando Alonso agrees with Aston Martin’s expert data, claims they can rival Red Bull’s supreme pace at upcoming races

Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen (Credits: The Guardian)

Red Bull secured their eighth victory of the season in as many races at Montreal, with Max Verstappen leading the charge for the team as he got his sixth win in 2023. The triumph in marked a significant milestone for the Austrian constructors’, earning their 100th victory. While it appeared that Red Bull’s dominance was persisting, there were glimpses of hope for their competitors Aston Martin .

For the first time, there have come up some indications that the gap between Red Bull and AMR is narrowing, suggesting a potential shift in the dynamics of the championship. There is data which suggests that Aston Martin have potentially discovered a method to enhance Fernando Alonso’s racing speed, granting him an additional advantage to challenge and potentially surpass the dominant Dutchman.

Alonso said to the media, “We will be able to optimize the package from Spielberg and Silverstone onwards.” The unpredictable and erratic schedule of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend did not offer the most favorable outcomes for the Silverstone-based team. The Austrian GP will be highly anticipated to see their improvement.

At the Canadian GP, Alonso finished the race just 9.5 seconds behind Verstappen. This marked the closest finish between a non-Red Bull car and the dominant RB19, as in all other races, Red Bull had secured victories with leads of over 20 seconds to their rivals. Aston Martin’s wind tunnel data and simulations have reportedly been exceptionally promising, to the extent that there are individuals within the team who already have confidence in the car’s capability to perform at a level comparable to Red Bull.

Related: “P2 was gone,” Fernando Alonso admits he nearly accepted defeat to Lewis Hamilton after a slow start at the Canadian GP

A false alarm hindered Fernando Alonso in Montreal

Fernando Alonso on track at Montreal(Credits: Getty)
Fernando Alonso on track at Montreal(Credits: Getty)

In the closing stages of the race, Fernando Alonso was forced to ‘lift coast’, which is a fuel saving tactic where drivers intentionally lift off the throttle and coast without accelerating fully in certain sections of the track. Alonso was cautioned that he may not have enough fuel to complete the race, forcing him to ease off in his pursuit of the leader for the race win.

However, as team principal Mike Krack has now revealed, this may have just been a false alarm. After an initial investigation, Krack revealed, “The data said there was a problem with the fuel system. Because we didn’t want to run out of fuel, we gave Fernando to save fuel. In the end, it turned out to be a false alarm.” Rather than narrowing the distance to the race leader, Fernando Alonso found himself focusing on defending his position from competitors behind him.

The strategy ending up requiring the 41-year-old veteran to stop pushing to catch Verstappen, which meant he lost a tenth or two a lap to Lewis Hamilton behind, who closed in rapidly. Regardless, even if Alonso had continued unhindered, Krack has dismissed any speculation of what could have been, saying “We don’t know what reserves Max would have had if we had been closer.”

Alonso is now just nine points adrift of P2 in the constructors’ standings, and with an impending wind tunnel penalty slapped on Red Bull, it could well see the British outfit make significant strides toward them by the end of the 2023 season.

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