Fernando Alonso hints he might start in the pitlane at the Brazilian GP as well

Alonso insistent that Aston Martin has had an “incredible year” despite performance slump.

Fernando Alonso hints he might start in the pitlane at the Brazilian GP as well

Fernando Alonso arriving to the paddock ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix (via Sky)

Fernando Alonso has had a dismal second half of the season in 2023, as Aston Martin receded from consistent podium finishes to being eliminated in Q1 and scoring no points. The Mexican Grand Prix was a nightmare for them too, as both drivers did not finish the race. Fernando Alonso contracted damage from the remnants of Sergio Perez’s collision, and Lance Stroll retired after crashing with Valtteri Bottas.

Lance Stroll started from the pitlane for the Grand Prix while Alonso stood 13th on the grid. Alonso has said that the team is willing to start the cars from the pitlane once more in Brazil if it means gaining more data about the car to lay grounds for improving in the future, as they are already unlikely to score points.

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We will learn, even if we have to start from the pitlane, and you know that that is [sometimes] more useful than spending the weekend.
Fernando Alonso as reported by motorsport.com

The Aston Martin’s Spanish racer said that the team is not fighting for anything in the championship after dropping to fifth in the constructor’s championship, far ahead of Alpine in 6th. Alonso acknowledged that he would fall a further couple places in the Drivers’ championship after Carlos Sainz surpassed him for fourth after the Mexican Grand Prix. 

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Alonso assured that the team would gather all the data they could from the next three rounds of the championship to go back to their fighting ways. Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc are both less than 20 points behind Alonso in the championship, and with their current form, look confident to take 5th and 6th in the championship respectively.

Alonso insistent that Aston Martin has had an “incredible year” despite performance slump

Fernando Alonso was out in Q1 for the second time in a row in the Mexican Grand Prix, and the team had a terrible race as well, with both drivers retiring their cars. The team went from repeatedly scoring podiums in the first half of the season, to barely scoring any points in the second half, except for some standout performances like Alonso’s podium in Zandvoort.

Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso (via Planet F1)

Alonso said that Aston Martin has still had one of their best years ever, and that won’t change even if they do not finish any of the remaining races. He remained confident of their potential to improve in future seasons. Alonso is currently signed to the team with a multi-year contract and has not shown any signs of wanting to retire yet, so he has time to work on the car with the team.

But no, it’s not frustration yet, this year has been an incredible season for us. So, even if we DNF the remaining races, 2023 is still a good season, but hopefully we can revert this situation and we can finish on a high.
Fernando Alonso as quoted formula1.com

 Alonso said that while the team is not as good as they were before and they aren’t in a position to do well at the moment, they aren’t frustrated as they see opportunities to reverse the situation and finish the season with good results.

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