Two-time Formula 1 Drivers’ World Champion, Fernando Alonso, decided to retire following the 2018 season. After a brief hiatus, and winning the Le Mans 24hr a couple of times, Alonso made a comeback to F1 in 2021 with the Renault team, currently known as Alpine.
One of the things that sets Alonso apart from other drivers is his ability to read a race. He has a keen sense of what is happening on the track and can make split-second decisions that can make all the difference.
A return that wasn’t quite what Alonso expected…
Initially, Alonso’s return wasn’t as smooth as he expected, though. In his first race at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, he was forced to quit as plastic went into his brake duct. He received his first points of the season after finishing 10th at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Originally, Alonso finished 11th but was rewarded with a point after Kimi Räikkönen was penalised for a late race infringement.
But arguably Alonso’s biggest achievement during the 2021 season was his third place in Qatar. That represented his first podium since the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2014, setting a new Formula 1 record of the number of races between podiums.
And by the end of the 2021 season, he had a total of 81 points to finish 10th in the standings Then came the 2022 season and, interestingly enough, he had the same number of points, but this time, he managed to finish ninth.
During this time, certain fans were sceptical of his ability to compete at the highest level. Even though Alonso had two top-10 finishes in the standings in 2021 and 2022, many people believed that the former two-time champion wasn’t likely to pose a threat to the top order drivers at the sharp end of the grid…
Back to glory as Alonso joins Aston Martin for the 2023 season
But his die-hard fans believed that Alonso was far from finished in Formula 1, so when in August 2022, it was officially announced that he had signed a multi-year contract with Aston Martin, people started to take notice. The biggest plot twist of course was Vettel’s earlier retirement announcement, which opened the door for Alonso to replace the German.
In fact, fans had even placed bets on Alonso to become Aston Martin’s new driver. If you’re a fan of Formula One and want to bet on the races, Betfred is a great place to start. They offer a wide range of betting options and competitive odds. Have a look at some of the Betfred betting offers and see what they’re offering on each race. Whether you want to bet on the winner of a race or the overall championship, Betfred has you covered. With their user-friendly website and mobile app, you can place your bets quickly.
2023 season goes from good to even better…
Alonso quickly made it known that he felt that Aston Martin was one of the best teams in Formula 1 at the moment as they are: “applying the energy and commitment to win.” And this showed as he immediately started showing just how fast the car was. His first race for Aston Martin was at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Even though he had small contact with Lance Stroll at the start, he didn’t suffer any damage and went on to finish third and on the podium once again.
Soon after, he scored his 100th career podium at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, again crossing the line third. This achievement made him only the sixth ever driver in history to have 100 or more podiums.
Even though he suffered a few penalties at the Bahrain Grand Prix (off-position at the starting grid) and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (improper pit stop), that did not derail him.
The Australian Grand Prix, however, was where things got heated. Alonso had close contact with Carlos Sainz Jr. The latter received a 5-second penalty for the incident. Luckily, Alonso did not suffer any damage. Not only that, but the Spaniard managed to snatch a third spot once again. It was starting look almost normal that he would end the race on the podium…
Coming down to earth (well, just a bit) Aston Martin’s DRS issues caused major issues during the qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. As a result, Alonso only finished eighth in the new sprint shootout qualifying but he did manage a better six for the grand prix. As for the race, he managed to finish fourth, just behind Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
Alonso’s first season with Aston Martin will likely finish with a win…
There’s no denying the fact that Alonso caught a second wind since he signed for Aston Martin. Although we are only five races into the season, he sits third in the standings, trailing only Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen.
It is hard to determine what the final outcome of the season will be as there are many races left, but everything looks very promising at the moment. And there is even a good chance that at circuits where having the fastest car doesn’t really help you (like Monaco or Singapore), he might even pick up a win or two.
