Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso will be the biggest threat to Red Bull while Mercedes take the fight to Ferrari, predicts George Russell.

We need to understand why that is. We just focused on maximising performance. “Us is the opposite. After FP3, we didn’t really focus on understanding it. “We found maybe five or six tenths. Alonso’s Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll will launch from P8.

Fernando Alonso edged out Max Verstappen in final practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix to set up a thrilling and unpredictable first battle for pole position ...

15) Nico Hulkenberg 13) Lando Norris 9) Oscar Piastri 8) Carlos Sainz 7) Lance Stroll 6) George Russell 5) Charles Leclerc 4) Lewis Hamilton 3) Sergio Perez 2) Max Verstappen 1) Fernando Alonso But that gap, is just nothing."

The Spanish driver topped the time sheets during the second practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday in the Aston Martin AMR23 with a time of ...

Fernando Alonso is preparing to launch from P5 in Bahrain for his first race with Aston Martin, lofty heights beyond his wildest dreams.

So, I think to start in the top five, race one, it was unexpected for everybody.” “We aim to fight for the podium, because we’re in the mix with Ferrari and Mercedes, and this sounds unreal at the moment.” “But I thought it will take some time, maybe in the first season to develop the car, the new project, but this car is a very basic car that we launched and you know, it’s just the baseline of the platform to develop future cars. “I think our aim was to be in the top five, top six, at the beginning of the weekend it was to put both cars in Q3, and I think our expectations were to be 0.5 or 0.6 [seconds] from Red Bull,” Alonso added. “And I think the pole position is around that time, what we are missing, so I think that we expected this position and I’m certainly happy.” When Alonso made the switch from Alpine to Aston Martin, he joined a team with ambitions of eventually challenging at the front of the pack, but having topped FP2 and FP3 in Bahrain, anticipation mounted that Alonso could even be a pole contender.

Fernando Alonso continued his and Aston Martins impressive form at the Bahrain Grand Prix as he edged out world champion Max Verstappen in final practice.

"Come on guys," said Hamilton as he was wheeled back by his mechanics. However, it was not all rosy for Mercedes after they misjudged the clock and failed to get Hamilton out on track to perform a practice start before the pit-lane closed. On Friday, Hamilton said Mercedes were on the "wrong track" and had fallen further behind their rivals after a disappointing 2022.

Fernando Alonso's only just joined the Aston Martin F1 team, but is already giving Aston Martin models a shakedown, namely the Aston Martin DBX 707.

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Max Verstappen came into the first qualifying session of the year as the favourite, with his nearest expected challengers being Lewis Hamilton, ...

Leclerc ended up setting a faster time on his second run, but Norris was unable to survive this time. Verstappen's fastest Q2 time was marginally quicker than the lap which earned Leclerc pole in Bahrain last year, while Perez was not far behind in second. Logan Sargeant set the exact same time as the Brit, but Norris was first to do so and survived. Aston Martin lived up to the testing hype in that first part of the session, going faster than both Red Bulls to safely secure passage into Q2. But it was only a short delay and before long the cars were back out on track still with 12 minutes of the usual 15 available to put in their flying laps. Verstappen set the fastest time with Sergio Perez second, while Charles Leclerc has to settle for second place ahead of Carlos Sainz after only setting one time in Q3.

Fernando Alonso has praised the work done by Aston Martin to get them in contention at the sharp end of the grid with Ferrari and Mercedes.

So this is just incredible." "We thought to be honest that the first three teams are untouchable this this year with advantage they had last year, and maybe we try to lead the midfield or mix in the midfield. He added: "It feels so strange for me to say that we start P5 and maybe we are aiming for more.

An “unreal” Bahrain Grand Prix weekend fighting Formula 1 teams Fernando Alonso thought “untouchable” has left Aston Martin “living a dream"

“Maybe we try to lead the midfield, or mix in the midfield. And as there is a tangible chance of a stellar result, even he is daring to dream. A chuckling Alonso said after qualifying: “Let’s see! In qualifying our expectation was to be around half of a second from Red Bull. He said: “It was amazing. The Aston Martin, as expected after testing, is not quite a Red Bull-beater.

Despite Aston Martin's remarkable pre-season form, Fernando Alonso's cautious optimism should be the attitude fans latch onto.

While showing a remarkable amount of promise, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes are the established big dogs in terms of car performance as well as operational sharpness (even if Ferrari were wobbly on that front in ’22). The target has to be fighting for the championship but you know, in a long term, I don’t think in this year yet.” Traditionally, throughout their various guises in recent years, the team have proven adept at developing and understanding their car. “After testing, we were thinking to be in Q3 with both cars, score as many points as possible in these first couple of races, try not to make mistakes. Let’s see the long runs this afternoon and then qualifying, and then the first sample in the race on Sunday.” Bit of a dark horse so yeah, it just shows that it is possible to take a jump from the mid-field to potentially further up. “Actually, I don’t know exactly what position will be a good one for us. The thing we can do is to focus on our own performance. As well as addressing the media and the fans, it’s clear Alonso is also sending a message to his team, to “keep the feet on the ground”. “We are pleased with the car. “We have a huge amount of respect for the competitors around us, and it obviously depends a vast amount on what they’ve done. “And we set some fairly aggressive targets for ourselves.

Fernando Alonso is preparing to launch from P5 in Bahrain for his first race with Aston Martin, lofty heights beyond his wildest dreams.

Fernando Alonso is laughing at the thought of fighting for a podium on his Aston Martin debut.

Fernando Alonso is laughing at the thought of fighting Ferrari and Mercedes for a podium on his Aston Martin debut.

“For sure from what we saw so far on our car and also historically, Aston Martin has very good tyre management. As for whether a top three result in the cards for Alonso, the 41-year-old said: “Let’s see! “Fighting with Ferrari, Mercedes, it seems a little bit unreal, but we will take it for sure.” I’m laughing because going for a podium in race one… “Yeah, I agree,” said Alonso. We knew they were going be quick.

Max Verstappen sped off into the distance and led from start to finish while Sergio Perez cruised to second, though the real battle was further back and won ...

Pierre Gasly started last but produced an excellent drive to score two points in ninth, while Alex Albon rounded off the top 10 with Williams rookie Logan Sargeant 12th, marking a good day for the team. To add insult to injury, he had a further five seconds added onto his time for speeding in the pit lane – before a 15-second penalty which completely ruined his race. He was duly voted as Driver of the Day by fans. At the front, Verstappen was 10 seconds clear and building on that gap, though not everything was rosy for him. Lando Norris was also having his race ruined by an engine problem. What it produced was a brilliant battle over several corners, as Alonso gave everything to get past but the Brit would just not give up on it. But, soon after, he was having to look in his mirrors rather than ahead. Hamilton got ahead of Russell at the start, but it wasn't long before the younger Brit was showing better pace. But there was almost a disaster for the Aston Martins, as Lance Stroll struggled braking into that first corner and tagger his team-mate Alonso. Everyone got away safely on the first lap, though there was a nervous moment as Perez started slowly. [Carlos Sainz](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/carlos-sainz) was next in line for that final podium spot, but Alonso had other ideas and duly swept past his fellow Spaniard to show there is life in the old dog yet. [Aston Martin](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/aston-martin-f1).

Max Verstappen eased to a dominant win at the Bahrain GP as Red Bull left their competition behind to start the 2023 Formula 1 season, while Fernando Alonso ...

For Ferrari, all appeared to be going to plan - running comfortably in third and fourth - before Leclerc, who had his engine battery replaced before the race, ground to a halt on Lap 40. The race coming the day after team boss Toto Wolff remarkably admitted that the car concept would have to be changed for Mercedes to compeitiive again, Hamilton and Russell were only really in the fight after Aston Martin's scruffy start and couldn't keep the green cars at bay in the race. Again, it was a feisty battle - and there was a slight touch after a scrap through Turn Four - but Alonso again dazzled through the twisty middle sector before getting ahead of Sainz on the straight. Mercedes capitalised to get ahead of Aston Martin after Alonso and Stroll's first-lap scuffles but the double world champion got ahead of Russell on Lap 13, and then superbly hunted down Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas was 'best of the rest' for Alfa Romeo ahead of Pierre Gasly in the Alpine and the impressive Alex Albon for Williams. In the end, Hamilton and Russell had to settle for fifth and seventh in their underperforming W14 cars.

Fernando Alonso came third in the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso picked up just his second podium since 2014 in the season-opening race in Bahrain.

The Red Bulls were out of sight at that point, but Alonso was able to maintain his position for a historic result for Aston Martin. Stroll's efforts were impacted by a wrist injury he suffered last month, but Alonso was sending shockwaves up and down the paddock with his pace. Fernando Alonso has lofty ambitions for Aston Martin this season as he wants to be starting ahead of both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz on the grid after taking his second podium since 2014 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Verstappen led home a Red Bull one-two as Sergio Perez finished runner-up, while Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso took the final spot on the podium.

[Lando Norris](/topic/lando-norris) finished 17th and last after making six pit-stops with a problematic engine. Hamilton survived, but only for two laps before Alonso threw his Aston Martin down Hamilton’s inside with a bold move at Turn 10 – a sharp left-hander. [Carlos Sainz](/topic/carlos-sainz) finished fourth. [Lewis](/topic/lewis) managing or is he slow because I feel like I have a bit more pace,” said Russell, one place back. [Red Bull](/topic/red-bull) driver, who dominated last season to claim his second consecutive world crown, outclassed his rivals with an ominous performance under the floodlights in Sakhir. “No power.”

New season, same result as Max Verstappen claimed a stunning lights-to-flag win at the Bahrain Grand Prix - but there was plenty of drama elsewhere.It.

First he lined up just outside of his box on the grid. Then, when serving the penalty for the first infringement, a mechanic started working on his car too early, while he also sped in the pitlane. The first incidents of the new season came mere seconds into the race with Leclerc giving Perez a nudge as the rivalry between Red Bull and Ferrari renews.

An "unreal" start to Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin career with the Spaniard on the podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Of course what he has to say to Stroll about the Canadian him on the opening lap remains to be seen, Alonso not even blinking when shown a reply of the incident in the cool-down room. “I would love to start in front of them and use that pace but we didn’t have the best start so had to pass on track,” he said. “Amazing for the team, it was a great weekend and a podium on the first race of the year,” he said after the race. As for his tussles against Mercedes and Ferrari, Alonso concedes while it would have been good not to lose places at the start, it definitely added ” more exciting, more adrenaline” to the race. On the podium in his Aston Martin debut, a bullish Fernando Alonso predicted Aston Martin “won’t get much” wind tunnel time next season as he expects they’ll be up near the top of the standings. Proclaiming his Aston Martin to be a “lovely car”, in Alonso’s hands it’s also a podium-finishing one as the Spaniard went from a first lap tangle to third place at the Sakhir circuit.

Alonso was tagged by his team-mate Stroll on the first lap which could have caused damage to the Spaniard's car, but luckily he escaped from the incident ...

Obviously, I would love to start in front of [Ferrari and Mercedes] and then use the pace. He overcame the pain to finish sixth in the race, beating "What Aston Martin did over the winter to have the second best car on race one is just unreal. So if people enjoy, we did enjoy as well so let's go to Jeddah." Speaking after getting out of his car, Alonso said: "My team-mate had surgery 12 days ago and now he's fighting right with everybody. It's amazing for the team. Fortunately for the Spaniard, he did not spin or pick up a puncture. By the way, Lance is my hero. There was no damage to either car, so all okay." But it might not have happened had one first lap incident had a different outcome. Alonso was told: "Lance was trying to get past George and as you switched back to try and get Hamilton, Lance just couldn't quite get stopped in time. [Formula 1](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formula-1/) podium this weekend with an excellent drive.

Fernando Alonso has started the 2023 Formula 1 season in the perfect way, with the Spaniard finishing third in his first race for Aston Martin to make the ...

Alonso rolled up his sleeves and, little by little, made progress. "To finish on the podium first race of the year is just amazing," Alonso said afterwards. [Formula 1](https://www.marca.com/en/f1.html) season in the perfect way, with the Spaniard finishing third in his first race for Aston Martin to make the podium of the Bahrain Grand Prix. [Here's how we covered the Bahrain Grand Prix](https://www.marca.com/en/f1-directo/2023/03/05/05_0501_20230305_1_1.html) [Lewis Hamilton](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/lewis-hamilton.html) and George Russell and who was lucky not to damage his AMR23 when he was hit by teammate Lance Stroll. [Verstappen starts 2023 with comfortable win in Bahrain, where Alonso makes the podium](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/05/6404cba522601d51518b4569.html)

Max Verstappen won the Formula One season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position Sunday with Sergio Perez in second and Fernando Alonso third.

Ferrari had changed an engine battery before the race but that didn’t stop Leclerc from making a dismal start to the year after such a frustrating season in 2022. “What Aston Martin did over the winter to have the second best car on race one is just unreal.” Verstappen started from the pole with Perez alongside him. “I’m very happy to finally win a race here.” Alonso overtook Hamilton on Lap 37 but then slid wide as Hamilton reclaimed position. What have you done?” a jubilant Alonso told his team.

Max Verstappen won, but Fernando Alonso was the star of the first race of the F1 season in Bahrain.

I loved every second of it, I loved the on-track battles. Bahrain has always been unkind to McLaren and it's hard to imagine the team being that bad all season. [Charles Leclerc](http://www.espn.com/rpm/driver?seriesId=6&driverId=5498) never looked close to challenging either Red Bull but was comfortably third until his car ground to a halt 40 laps from the finish. Alonso has been very complimentary of Stroll since joining -- saying the Canadian, who is yet to win an F1 race, is a future world champion -- and he continued that after the race despite their near-miss. "Obviously there was quite a lot of work on that but we need to keep working as first race and first reliability problem... Alonso and Aston Martin might not be capable of winning races on outright pace, but this is the best car the Spaniard has had in almost a decade. Hamilton deserves credit for a great undercut which saw him keep the position at Turn 4, but the pace of the Aston Martin was clear to see. However, it was difficult not to think this year will be more of the same old Ferrari given how its opener unfolded. "We were very strong in testing, strong in free practice and strong in the race. The pair also collided in Belgium last year, after which Alonso suggested that Hamilton only knows how to race when he's in the lead. "I think the last few occasions I was competitive, like Canada last year, it was a wet qualifying ... Alonso's podium on his Aston Martin debut not only showed the excitement around the team's car was justified (if not slightly overblown at points this week), but has also seen one of the most talented drivers of the modern Formula One era propelled back into a competitive position.

Coming out of pre-season testing ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season, expectations began to grow regarding Aston Martin. Despite the absence of driver Lance ...

The team leaves Bahrain and heads to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix sitting in second place, behind Red Bull at the top of the Constructors’ table: you will get a step back and you will get back to reality. I think in Bahrain we were strong in things that maybe we don’t find in Jeddah and Australia. I think the aim in 2023 was to get in the mix with the midfield, maybe leading that midfield and get close to the top three teams eventually.” It was a battle that Alonso eventually won, and when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc retired early, it opened the door for Alonso’s podium finish. If we are strong in the next two races, I think we will have a very good 2023.” This is a little bit of a surprise, but we are extremely proud, happy with the job done at Silverstone in the factory,” added Alonso. However, both drivers shook off the early incident and began to power their way up the field. That saw Alonso, who qualified in fifth, slide back into sixth place. Coming out of pre-season testing ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season, expectations began to grow regarding Aston Martin. The dream start looked impossible early in the race, when Stroll drove into the back of Alonso in Turn 4 on the opening lap of the race. “Even a podium maybe was not on the radar in 2023, and we found ourselves with the second best car today in Bahrain, of the whole weekend, just behind Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso revelled in an unexpectedly bright start to his time with Aston Martin after securing third place in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

"It's a terrible time to crash on a bicycle and doctors were telling me maybe Australia, maybe Baku. The aim in 2023 was to be in the mix in the midfield, maybe leading the midfield and getting close to the top three teams eventually. "It's been an insane journey," Stroll told Sky Sports. I've got full trust in our team, they know what to do, so hopefully we can improve." This is just a starting point, not the finished car. "It's the perfect start for this project," Alonso said.

In his first race for Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso finished in third place in the Bahrain Grand Prix. It is his 99th career podium.

33 — the “mission” his fans have coined for this year on social media — that is the next step for him and Aston Martin. With Charles Leclerc out of the race due to an engine failure, Alonso was now fourth and quickly closing on the second Ferrari of Sainz, who was struggling with tire degradation. Alonso spent the opening stint trailing both Mercedes cars but was quickly putting pressure on Russell, who had a struggling Hamilton in front of him. It all so nearly ended in tears for Alonso and Aston Martin on the very first lap. Alonso didn’t make the best of starts, slipping behind Hamilton — and then felt a tap from behind as Stroll ran deep at Turn 4. We’ve since heard plenty from Alonso about his belief in the vision of Aston Martin and its owner, Lawrence Stroll, who has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into building the next great F1 team.

Fernando Alonso hailed the perfect start to life at Aston Martin as he celebrated an “unreal” podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Alonso said his third place ...

The 41-year-old Spaniard feels his third-place finish at the season-opener would have been “unthinkable” eight months ago.

“Let’s go,” screamed Alonso in delight. Hamilton survived, but only for two laps before Alonso threw his Aston Martin down Hamilton’s inside with a supreme move at Turn 10 – a sharp left-hander. “Even a podium was not on the radar.

Plus, Meg discusses the midfield competition and performances from the rookie class.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have been battling in Formula 1 since 2007, when the English driver made his debut in the sport. They have been teammates ...

[Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/05/6404cba522601d51518b4569.html). "To finish on the podium first race of the year is just amazing," Alonso said as he discussed the achievement after the race. [Verstappen starts 2023 with comfortable win in Bahrain](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/05/6404cba522601d51518b4569.html) [Alonso rolls back the years by overtaking Hamilton like it's a decade ago!](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2023/03/05/6404d7b522601d09688b4570.html) [Fernando Alonso](https://www.marca.com/en/f1/fernando-alonso.html) have been battling in Formula 1 since 2007, when the English driver made his debut in the sport. While Max Verstappen was well out in front on his way to victory, the Spaniard and the Brit were competing for the final spot on the podium.