Fernando Alonso did something none of Aston Martin’s ‘simulations’ predicted during Singapore Grand Prix

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It has not been the most spectacular season for Fernando Alonso but he has shown flashes of brilliance during the 2024 Formula 1 season.

The latest was at the Singapore Grand Prix, where he dragged his Aston Martin into the points following a strong qualifying session for the Spaniard.

Aston Martin admitted that reaching Q3 might be a challenge, but Fernando Alonso took advantage of poor sessions for Mercedes and Ferrari to reach P7 on the grid.

Alonso managed to hold off Charles Leclerc in the opening stages of the race, but the Ferrari driver passed him just before Aston Martin decided to pit him for his first stop.

The Spaniard would go on to lose positions to Carlos Sainz but managed to stay ahead of Sergio Perez and finish a few seconds off the Ferrari in P8. Team principal Mike Krack said he exceeded their expectations when speaking to Motorsport-Total.

Fernando Alonso exceeded expectations during the Singapore Grand Prix

Aston Martin expected they would tumble down the order and outside of the points-paying positions, based on their simulations showing they were only the eighth fastest car over the weekend.

“We should have finished in P15 and P16. That’s what the simulations tell us, because we are passed out as the seventh or eighth team. But we are eight, two seconds behind a Ferrari,” said Alonso.

Alonso took his team by surprise by holding off Leclerc in the early stages after overtaking Nico Hulkenberg at the start, which ultimately enabled him to stay inside the top ten and exceed their expectations.

“We have our numbers and our projections. But we have to be that honest: none of our simulations has shown that we would land so far ahead,” says Krack.

Fernando Alonso’s commitment to F1 questioned by Ralf Schumacher

Even though Alonso is still putting in impressive for his team, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes the Spaniard may have lost interest in F1.

There is a lot of anticipation for Alonso and the arrival of legendary car designer Adrian Newey next season, when the pair are set to work together for the first time.

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

But Schumacher believes Alonso is losing his motivation because he is picking up the scraps in the midfield rather than regularly challenging for wins and podiums.

Jacques Villeneuve believes Alonso must try to ‘survive’ long enough to get a winning car, and help Lance Stroll improve so they can maximise their chances in 2026.