With just 56 points from the first three races, Mercedes experienced its worst start to the season in ten years. At this point in the year, the Silver Arrows had fewer points for the last time after the first three races of the 2013 season.
At that time, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg only managed 52 points. Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso nevertheless believes that Mercedes will soon be able to win races in Formula 1 again.
“If you read their comments, it gives the impression that they have a car that doesn’t make it into Q3. But I don’t think it’s that bad,” smiles the Spaniard, referring to some statements by Hamilton and Co.
Mercedes catch-up like 2022?
“It does the opposite of what we want,” said Hamilton, for example, before the Australian Grand Prix about the Mercedes W14. On Sunday, he still finished second, taking the Silver Arrows’ first podium finish of the year.
It comes as no surprise to Alonso that Mercedes were up front in Melbourne, even leading the race at times. “No. I think in Jeddah they were within a tenth of a second on the pace on Sunday,” he recalls.
The two-time world champion admits that Mercedes is currently “not as good as Red Bull”. But: “Nobody has a car that’s close to Red Bull,” emphasizes Alonso, adding: “They’re getting better and will soon be a candidate for victories.”
The Spaniard draws a comparison to last year, when Mercedes also experienced a difficult start to the season. “They won another race after a very bad start,” he recalls of George Russell’s victory in Brazil in 2022.
Aston Martin is based on top teams
In fact, Mercedes was “Best of the Rest” behind Red Bull for the first time in Albert Park in 2023. Alonso had held this position in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. “In Bahrain we were a little surprised by the pace at the winter test,” he admits.
“It seemed too good to be true. But we confirmed it in Jeddah and now we have it here [in Australien] also confirmed,” says the Aston Martin driver about his own pace at the beginning of the year and the big leap over the winter.
“We’re orienting ourselves more towards the top teams on the weekends. […] It changed our tire choice for qualifying and the runs you do in qualifying don’t have to be so crazy anymore because you know you’re going to get through Q1 and Q2,” he reveals.
That makes “things a little easier,” said the Spaniard, who for the first time since his Formula 1 comeback can regularly fight for podium places. “I had hoped that 2023 would be a learning season,” reveals the 41-year-old.
Formula 1 star Alonso: Actually only wanted to fight with Mercedes in 2024
For 2024 he then hoped to “maybe” be able to fight with the top teams. “But we already challenged them in Bahrain in the first race, so of course everything looks more optimistic now,” said Alonso after three third places in three races.
“But now we have to deliver,” the two-time world champion also knows. “From Baku, Imola and Barcelona, the teams will start bringing upgrades to the car. And we have to be a top team in this respect too,” he demands.
Aston Martin still has to learn “a lot of things” in order to “hopefully” be able to attack at the front in 2024. Until then, it would probably be a success to continue fighting with Mercedes and Co. for the best position behind Red Bull.
Because Alonso believes Mercedes will be able to win again in the near future, logically that would also apply to Aston Martin…