Fernando Alonso’s Bahrain podium ‘too good to be true’ sparks hope of more F1 victories

Fernando Alonso said his third-place finish at Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix was “too good to be true” and reinforced the belief that he could win again in Formula 1. Here’s what you need to know:

• In his first race with Aston Martin, Alonso finished third behind the dominant Red Bull cars of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
• Alonso narrowly avoided being taken out by team mate Lance Stroll on the first lap but passed the Mercedes drivers George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to finish third.
• It is Alonso’s 99th podium, his first since Qatar 2021, and it has renewed hopes that the 41-year-old can end a drought dating back to 2013.

What did Alonso say?

“When P3 is in the first race, there are 22 chances this season [to win]Alonso said. “Until last year, I remember in Canada, in the wet qualifying, we were front row on the grid. Anything can happen in 22 races with different conditions.

“Maybe we need some help. Last year we needed some help from the top teams just to get a podium. Maybe this year if there’s help or some retirements ahead, or some problems, maybe it’s more than a podium. Let’s hope that “.

background story

When Alonso announced last August that he was leaving Alpine for Aston Martin, the team that finished ninth in the championship, many questioned his decision.

Since then, we’ve heard a lot from Alonso about his belief in the vision of Aston Martin and its owner, Lawrence Stroll, who has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in building the next F1 team. But it wasn’t until we saw an Aston Martin on track this week that it really became clear how much the team had made a step forward over the winter.

An aggressive redesign of the car, based on a concept used by the title-winning Red Bull team last year, has made Aston Martin a team to watch through testing. The hype only increased when Alonso led practice on Friday before finishing fifth in qualifying which dampened expectations a bit.

But his performance in racing, beating Mercedes and Ferraris on track, and clearly loving every moment in the car points to a driver excited by future prospects.

How Alsonso ranked third in Bahrain?

It all nearly ended in tears for Alonso and Aston Martin on the first lap. Alonso didn’t make the best start, sliding behind Hamilton – then feeling a tap from behind as Stroll ran deep into Turn 4. Alonso thought it was Russell and only found out after the race that it was Stroll, who admitted he was “really lucky” as he peeked at the back of the car. Alonso’s car and that both could go on.

Alonso spent the opening stint trailing the two Mercedes but was soon putting pressure on Russell, who was facing a stumbling Hamilton in front of him. Alonso was able to catch Russell before he entered the pits for the first time at the end of lap 14. The pair went side by side through Turn 4, but Alonso was daring to go ahead at the high-speed Turn 5.

After pitting, Alonso passed Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas – who had taken the lead after impressing much earlier – before setting his sights on Hamilton and gradually closing the gap. After both drivers pitted, Alonso’s superior pace was evident as he initially tried to overtake in Turn 4, only to fall back. He planned his move a few corners ahead, leaning to the right as they went through Turn 9 before diving to the inside at Turn 10 – a corner that few drivers use to overtake.

“It was a surprising step up there because nobody gets past turn 10,” Alonso said. It was a bold move that was applauded by the media center.

With Charles Leclerc out of the race with an engine failure, Alonso finished fourth and quickly closed in on Sainz’s second Ferrari, which was suffering from tire degradation. He considered another move in turn 10 but decided to bide his time and use DRS to exit the corner before going up the inside at turn 11. Sainz had no chance of keeping the Aston Martin behind, while Alonso responded on the radio: “Yes! Bye bye!” “

The closing laps saw Alonso take it easy, taking the time to comment on how fun the car was to drive and making sure he got home to the remarkable feat of third place for the Aston Martin. The team has not finished a race higher than sixth last year.

“It’s too good to be true,” said Alonso. “You always expect something, and you take a step back and come back to reality. But the performance feels real.”

The result means Alonso moves to his 99th Formula 1 podium. But it will be the 33rd win – the ‘mission’ his fans have coined this year on social media – that is the next step for him and Aston Martin.

required reading

For more information on the Bahrain Grand Prix, read on the athleteThe live blog is here.

(Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images)