Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin won a spectacular podium finish in the 2023 season opener after the team converted the hype around their testing and practice performances at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Alonso finished fifth in fastest in qualifying, behind Red Bull and Ferrari, and used his typically tenacious race craft and benefitted from Charles Leclerc’s retirement to rise to the top three during Sunday night’s encounter.

His ascent featured some thrilling scraps with Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton – a multi-lap battle between the two world champions ending in Alonso’s favour via a clever move into Turn 10.

Once clear of the W14s, Alonso set his sights on fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz, completing a DRS-assisted pass down the back straight in the closing stages to follow the Red Bull drivers home and spark jubilant scenes in the Aston Martin camp.

Alonso said, “It’s a perfect start for this project. We didn’t expect to be that competitive. 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. 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.”

Source: bahraingp