At Bahrain 2022, Aston Martin closed out its first race of the course with a 12th-place finish from Lance Stroll, 45 seconds behind the winner. A year later, the green car, led by Fernando Alonso, climbed to the podium, third place, 26 seconds behind Verstappen. The madness was justified by the mechanics of the Silverstone team, who shouted and jumped with euphoria when the Asturian arrived and hugged them to celebrate his second podium since he returned in 2021. His first drawer of a green stage that starts so hopeful.
“It’s amazing for the team. A brutal weekend, it’s incredible. Being the second best car in the first race is unreal”, commented the Spaniard interviewed by Nico Rosberg in the parc fermé.
“At the start I would have liked to start ahead of the two Mercedes, but we did not start in the best way and we had to overtake them on the track,” explained Fernando, who enjoyed the podium ceremony with the two like a child. Red Bull, untouchable rivals today.
The Asturian pilot was in disbelief with his first podium at the start of the World Championship and in his first race with a new team. “It’s a dream come true, eight months ago I never would have thought that we would be fighting with Ferrari and Mercedes, nor that I would have been on the podium in the first race. I think he would have said that we would not even have a podium finish in 2023, but the truth is that everything has been brought forward. Today we had the second fastest car on the track after Red Bull, it’s a surprise for the whole team, and we have to take advantage of it”.
Fernando Alonso was even more hopeful with the evolution that the AMR23 can have, because it has just been uncovered and has a long journey. “The project is new; both Ferrari and Red Bull have maintained the development concept of the car that they had last year and all they are doing is perfecting it with small details, while for us it is a completely new car and we are going to find performance in the coming months. Very happy”.
The man from Oviedo also transmits emotion and hope, at 41 years old and in his 20th season in F1, which reflect his good moment and good fit in the Silverstone team. “Seeing that the project is going so well shows the work done, the good atmosphere in the team and the energy that everyone has; I see the engineers, the mechanics, the people in the factory, and they are like motorcycles”.
Carlos Sainz, for his part, fourth in the Bahrain GP, ??the same starting position, was resigned. “We tried everything. In the first stint we held up quite well, and in the end we ended up where we deserved, which is behind this Aston Martin.
“This circuit was not our forte due to the degradation there is, as soon as I fought with Fernando I left my wheels. It is a subject that we need to improve throughout the year”, he admitted about the problem of high tire degradation.
“I always respect Fernando, it has been a tough but beautiful battle, he deserves the podium for the work he and Aston Martin have done, so congratulations,” he congratulated his friend.