Fernando Alonso proclaims he can beat Sergio Perez in the 2023 drivers’ championship after Canadian GP podium

After the contrast in their performances in recent races, Alonso is sure that he can beat the Mexican title contender before the season's conclusion

Fernando Alonso proclaims he can beat Sergio Perez in the 2023 drivers’ championship after Canadian GP podium

Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez (Credits: The Guardian)

After a poor result by his lofty standards at the Spanish GP, Fernando Alonso vowed it would be his final race without a podium. He did justice to his promise at the Canadian GP, finishing P2 after a tough race around the tarmac at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This marks a strong comeback from him, reiterating how good he is even at 41.

The Spaniard was overtaken initially off the line by Lewis Hamilton, but quickly fought back by lap 22 to overtake him. He managed to hold him off for the remainder of the race after a demanding race. Notably, he finished 9 seconds behind the leader Max Verstappen, a typically considerably larger gap.

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Speaking to the media after the race, Fernando Alonso made his ambitions and thoughts known. He firmly believes he can finish ahead of Sergio Perez, who had been titled a championship contender. When asked whether he can finish above Perez in the standings before the season is out, the 41-year-old veteran replied, “yes,” with no hesitation.

Alonso moves just nine points behind Sergio Perez in the drivers’ standings, who is in P2. Given the difference in their form and current performance, it seems highly likely that the veteran can best the likes of Perez, as he claims, while the rest of the season unfolds.

Related: “Another very good sign,” Fernando Alonso is filled with optimism over Aston Martin’s upgrade plan to catch up with Red Bull

Fernando Alonso claims the race felt like multiple laps of qualifying

Fernando Alonso(Credits: The Independent)
Fernando Alonso(Credits: The Independent)

In the last ten laps of the race, Lewis Hamilton made a determined effort to narrow the gap. He came within two seconds of Fernando Alonso, who then ditched his ‘lift-and-coast’ strategy to push to secure P2 behind the dominant race winner, Max Verstappen.

Acknowledging the potential threat posed by Mercedes, Alonso highlighted that there wasn’t a single lap where he could afford to grow complacent. He described the battle as “amazing” and revealed that throughout the entire race, he drove with the intensity usually reserved for qualifying sessions. After the race, he said, “At the beginning, I had a bit more pace. At the end, I think Lewis had a little bit more pace. I was tough. It was a very demanding race, all 70 laps of qualifying today.”

He added, “I think we were hoping to challenge a little bit more the Red Bull, but we lost a place at the start with Lewis. Then it was a battle with the Mercedes and Lewis was pushing all the race so I didn’t have one lap where I could relax a little bit. So, it was an amazing battle.” The pair finished only five seconds apart in a heated encounter.

Fernando Alonso has reemphasized Aston Martin’s goal to catch leader Max Verstappen, who is running away at the top with what is turning into an insurmountable 69-point lead. He and the team are on the right track, and the Austrian GP is another chance to fight the leader for his first race victory in a decade.

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