Fernando Alonso has consistently impressed behind the wheel of the AMR23 since the start of the season, finishing third in four of his first five races with Aston Martin. Not content with just completing the podium, the surprisingly speedy Spaniard is chasing his 33rd career victory, and he has pinpointed the Monaco Grand Prix as possibly providing his best opportunity.
Aston Martin’s race pace and reliability have simultaneously surprised this season, taking them from a seventh-place finish in the constructors’ standings at the end of last season to currently sitting in second place ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari, with only Red Bull ahead.
Now that Alonso has settled into his new outfit so comfortably, he has set his sights on beating the dominant Red Bull drivers and at 41 years-old, he knows it will take a more specifically suitable circuit to be able to mount a challenge for the win.
When asked by Sky Sport‘s Martin Brundle whether he can win a race this season, the Spaniard replied “I think so, yes,” and as to where that win might occur, Alonso said “I don’t know. We seem to have a car that is maybe not the fastest on the straights. We need to improve that, but we are very good on the corners.
“So I would say that the slowest speeds of the championship, let’s say Monaco, Budapest, Singapore. These kind of circuits, I think we put our main hopes at the moment.”
Alonso has not struggled to outperform his teammate Lance Stroll, but the sheer straight-line speed of the Red Bulls has made them almost untouchable on faster circuits. The shortly upcoming Emilia Romagna GP will provide no relief to the rest of the grid, as the Imola circuit will provide Max Verstappen and Co.’ with the perfect venue to unleash the RB19.
However, the following race is none other than the highly anticipated Monaco GP on Sunday, May 28, and that should give the more experienced drivers in faster cornering cars the edge.
REUTERS: Fernando Alonso in 2018
