One down, 14 to go for Fernando Alonso.
1 down, 14 to go for Fernando Alonso
The Aston Martin F1 driver is full of bold predictions this year
Photo by Michael Potts/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
After a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix, his home race, the Aston Martin F1 driver was clear.
Do not get used to seeing a podium without him.
So far, so good.
Alonso came home second in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, recording his sixth podium of the season over eight races. His second-place finish, coupled with the sixth-place finish from Sergio Pérez, inched Alonso closer to Pérez in the Drivers’ standings.
Following the Miami Grand Prix, Pérez was 30 points ahead of Alonso for second place in the Drivers’ standings. As the circuit leaves Montreal behind, Alonso has closed the gap in a big way, as the Aston Martin driver is now just nine points behind Pérez:
In the above graph from Formula 1 Points, you can see how Alonso has closed that gap over the past few weeks.
In the FIA Press Conference following the Canadian Grand Prix, Alonso did manage to tamp down expectations for Aston Martin a bit. Asked about the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix, Alonso outlined that the circuit — and the sprint race — might not be the best environment for the team.
“I think the sprint weekend will not be ideal for us. We still have more time maybe of free practice with our new upgraded car,” said Alonso. “We still need to understand and optimise the package a little bit and in Austria, obviously with the sprint, we will have only FP1 to do that.
“But yeah, it is what it is. The circuit will be good and maybe better for the package as well, this one with a strange layout, let’s say,” continued the Aston Martin driver. “Maybe good for Ferrari, historically here as well with a long straight and short corners so maybe Austria we have a little bit more pace.”
However, while Alonso might have minimized expectations for Austria, he was not done making bold predictions. It was pointed out during the post-race press conferences in Montreal that Alonso was just nine points behind Pérez, and the Aston Martin driver was asked if he could beat the Red Bull driver.
Alonso was direct, and to the point.
“Yes.”
We’ll see if his bold predictions hold true in just under two weeks.
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