One Fernando Alonso stat from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix shows exactly why being the oldest driver in F1 isn’t an issue

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It’s hard to remember the last time Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso looked happy at the end of a Formula 1 race.

The pictures of Fernando Alonso gleefully strolling onto the podium at the end of the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix feel much longer than 18 months ago.

Alonso came out on top against Sergio Perez in a battle that won the FIA’s Action of the Year in the closing stages of the race to secure his eighth top three finish of that campaign.

However, since that moment, Aston Martin have struggled to make any progress away from the track, which has left Alonso and his teammate Lance Stroll increasingly frustrated.

Stroll failed to score a point in any of the final 11 Grand Prix weekends of 2024, but has added 10 points to his tally already this season.

Alonso, however, is one of four drivers who are yet to get off the mark this season, alongside Liam Lawson, Jack Doohan and his protege Gabriel Bortoleto.

Alonso and Bortoleto nearly had a huge crash at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but the Spaniard narrowly avoided disaster before narrowly missing out on the top 10.

While many might be questioning if he’s still performing at the required level at 43 years of age, one stat from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix proves he’s still more than capable of beating drivers who are less than half his age.

READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2

Fernando Alonso had the fastest reactions on the grid at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

A report from the Spanish outlet Marca has shared more details about Alonso’s P11 finish in Jeddah.

According to the report, as well as only being two-tenths off Lewis Hamilton in qualifying, Alonso had the ‘best reaction time’ on the grid last Sunday, making up three positions in the process.

He benefited from Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda crashing to further elevate him up the standings, but he used all of the experience he’s gained from over 400 Grand Prix starts to navigate one of the most treacherous first corners on the calendar.

Alonso was asked about Adrian Newey only working on the 2026 car at Aston Martin after the race, and he said, “I totally agree. It’s a year of transition.”

It would be very tempting to call on the design genius to try and work out what’s going wrong with the AMR25, but Andy Cowell agrees with Alonso that Newey should concentrate on next year to avoid a repeat of this season’s disappointment.

To further highlight how well Alonso performed in Saudi Arabia, a comparison with Stroll demonstrates he’s still one of the sport’s most talented drivers.

In clean air, Alonso was 0.592 seconds per lap faster than Stroll around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which was a bigger margin than between any other pair of teammates.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Pedro De La Rosa says Fernando Alonso ‘richly deserves’ F1 points this season

Alongside his duties as an Aston Martin ambassador, former F1 driver Pedro De La Rosa is also a pundit for DAZN.

Speaking after the race, De La Rosa explained: “The truth is that the mechanics and engineers were very happy with the final result, but it is not enough, in the sense that everything was done well.

“Alonso went like a plane and he had the scare with Bortoleto, so be careful… If there is a driver with whom I have a good relationship, it is Fernando, and I am sure he was the last one he wanted to harm.

“Everything was done well, but it is the most unpleasant result, again 11th, where you are left wanting for that little point that Fernando has not yet bagged and so richly deserves.”

Alonso’s contract runs until the end of 2026, but he’ll be well aware that his position could soon be under threat.

Max Verstappen has been linked with Aston Martin, and chairman Lawrence Stroll seems unlikely to drop his son Lance to make way for the four-time world champion.

It’s therefore up to Alonso to make himself undroppable, and despite finishing P11, he did the best job possible in Saudi Arabia to prove that to Aston Martin’s senior personnel.