‘Impressive’ Formula 1 driver couldn’t believe how fast his car was in pre-season this year

Follow us on Google Discover

During pre-season testing ahead of the 2023 season, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso couldn’t believe just how fast the car was.

Fernando Alonso turned heads when he switched Alpine for Aston Martin ahead of last season.

Speaking to the team’s official website, he’s been explaining why he’s so happy that he made that call after one of the most impressive seasons of his storied Formula 1 career.

As soon as Alonso arrived at Aston Martin, the team knew they had an exceptional talent on their hands.

What Alonso probably didn’t expect was for the team to have delivered such a strong car straight away.

Aston Martin finished seventh in the Constructors’ Championship in 2022, with his old team Alpine edging out McLaren to finish fourth.

The two teams almost swapped positions this year with Alpine fighting for minor points at the start of the year while Aston Martin were scoring podiums.

Alonso has admitted that he couldn’t believe how fast his car was during pre-season ahead of the 2023 season.

That form immediately carried on into the start of the year, with Alonso bagging six podiums in the first eight races.

While the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren overtook Aston Martin eventually, the ‘impressive’ Spaniard took full advantage of his rivals’ early struggles.

Alonso shocked by Aston Martin pace during 2023 pre-season

Asked if he was surprised by the competitiveness of the AMR23, Alonso said: “Yes! There were moments during the pre-season test when I thought it was too good to be true. And then we had the first race, we were as competitive as the test suggested, and we finished on the podium.

“I had that feeling inside that there was an opportunity for me and the team to do something big together. The project felt like it was coming alive. It was magic.”

Aston Martin will know that they need to replicate the work they did during the 2023 pre-season next year to give Alonso and Lance Stroll a fighting chance next year.

The Canadian driver will know he needs to close the gap to his more experienced teammate who is still chasing his first F1 win in more than a decade.

It would be an incredibly popular victory among Formula 1 fans if he manages to finally cross the chequered line first.

However, it’s hard to look past Max Verstappen and Red Bull heading into next year.