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Aston must be ready to jump on “crack” in Red Bull’s F1 form
The Spaniard finished third at the Miami Grand Prix for the fourth time in five races as he admitted he was now eager to start better.
But Alonso said Aston Martin needed to accept that Red Bull was still one step ahead, rather than start setting unrealistic expectations for the fight ahead.
However, he believes Red Bull will make a mistake on a given weekend – so Aston Martin must be able to make the most of it.
“Obviously, we want to move up the podium in P2 and eventually one day we have a chance to win a race,” he said after the Miami Grand Prix.
“But it hasn’t happened yet because Red Bull is better than us. It’s stronger, faster and reliability has always been good for them too, finishing two cars in every race.
“But if there’s a crack there one day, if there’s an opportunity, we need to make sure we’re in that position and we don’t make mistakes at any point over the weekend.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 3rd, celebrates on arrival at Parc Ferme
Photography: Andy Horn / motorsport pictures
Although Alonso has been able to match the Red Bull’s speed in some races, its rival still has a clear advantage over the entire grand prix distance.
That’s why he thinks it’s too early to believe Aston Martin can take a step forward in challenging for the world title squad, but says things could be different later in the campaign.
“I think this year is going to be tough,” he said when asked about the prospect of winning. “Even though I think today was our best pace of the season, the gap is huge.
“I think we finished the race as close as possible to the leader, no safety car, nothing in the race, we were still fast. So, let’s see. I think the season is going to be long.
“Hopefully we can get closer to them on some tracks, and some of the upgrades that we’re going to bring later in the season might put us in a different or more competitive position.
“But I think, to be honest, our main focus is just looking back and trying to control where Mercedes and Ferrari are in the constructors’ championship. But I think Red Bull, we have to admit they’ve done better than the others , we need to do better.”
Fernando Alonso came very close to his first race win since Barcelona 2012. The Spaniard trailed Max Verstappen, who left the Aston Martin driver behind with a masterclass finish. It was more flavorful for Alonso, he told a news conference.
Ocon qualified fourth in the Principality, 0.188 seconds behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen. He then inherited a spot when Charles Leclerc was penalized for blocking Lando Norris.
In the race, 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix winner Ocon took on Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on the final stage in the rain, earning his first podium of the season in the upgraded A523. Teammate Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, was seventh.
The headlines came after Alpine chief executive Laurent Rossi gave French media interviews over the weekend in Miami, at times labeling his team “amateurs”.
The team’s best finish was eighth before Monaco, while Ocon and Gasly eliminated each other in the final moments in Australia, unable to earn a double. Throughout the weekend in Monaco, Ocon was reluctant to respond positively to Rossi’s remarks.
Asked again for his response after finishing third, he said: “Everyone is happy. Formula 1 is unpredictable. You don’t know what’s going to happen.
“With how tight the field is at the moment, a little more pace can completely change your weekend. It was a great weekend, awesome preparation.
“As I’ve always said, we’ve been working hard. We’re not going to stop believing. Hopefully this is the first podium of many.”
Esteban Ocon of the Alpine F1 Team celebrates his third position with Pierre Gasly, the Alpine F1 Team, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi and the team
Photography: Alpine
Such a high score is based on Alpine’s introduction of a revised suspension configuration, tweaked floor design and new sidepod air intakes for the Monaco weekend.
Asked whether the upgrades marked a turning point for the year, Ocon said the team had to be careful to “get its feet on the ground” and wait to see what it was like at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
He said: “It’s a very different track in terms of character here. But obviously the car feels more alive and I feel more confident in it to start the weekend.
“We did bring some updates. They should be small, but everything we have is going in the right direction. It definitely feels good and I hope this is the start of something.
“We need to keep our feet on the ground and see where we are next week. It will be a good test.”
Fernando Alonso came very close to his first race win since Barcelona 2012. The Spaniard trailed Max Verstappen, who left the Aston Martin driver behind with a masterclass finish. It was more flavorful for Alonso, he told a news conference.
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