Aston Martin Deserved Victory 'More Than Anyone Else' Says Alonso

Thursday, 14 December 2023 at 15:00

Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso came close to a Grand Prix win multiple times throughout 2023 and while they didn't get it, the Spaniard believes it was deserved.

The double World Champion achieved eight podiums this season with a team that finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship in 2022.

While nobody, even from the British team, expected to make such a great step forward throughout the winter break, they quickly got used to driving at the front and wanted to get that first victory for Aston Martin.

Aston Martin, with the 42-year-old, came perhaps the closest to achieving the win during the Monaco Grand Prix and the Dutch Grand Prix. As reported by motorsport.com, Alonso said:

"I think it was possible. Probably Monaco was the closest. Just maybe a tire call change or something [would've made the difference]. Maybe Zandvoort, if we were in a different position in that restart or something."

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Mixed weather conditions heavily influenced the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, and Aston Martin made a wrong strategy call, which probably cost them and the Spaniard the win. The double World Champion believes they deserved it more than anybody.

"We had opportunities here and there. And I believe that we deserved it more than anyone else this year.'

The British team lost pace compared to its rivals after a few races as teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren made significant steps forward in development.

"We are not at the top level yet and we found ourselves a little bit less competitive. But all in all it was unthinkable 12 months ago at this stage to think about the campaign we did."

The team's principal, Mike Krack, recently admitted the development pace at the front of the field is "much harsher" than his team was prepared for. On the other hand, Alonso reflected on the progress his team has made since 2022:

"I remember perfectly the test last year after [Abu Dhabi] with the team and if someone had told me that we would be in this position, I would not have believed it."