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Fernando Alonso reckons Mercedes can fight for wins in the ongoing 2023 F1 season. The Spaniard is skeptical of the team's claims of having a slow car, claiming otherwise. The Silver Arrows finished P2 and P3 at the end of qualifying in Australia.
Max Verstappen took pole position in Saturday's qualifying, with other teams and drivers not too far behind on this occasion. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished P2 and P3 behind the Dutchman respectively, proving the W14 has pace in times of need.
Alonso qualified in an impressive P4, finishing just a tenth behind his long-time rival Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard was happy with his performance but is very critical of claims that Mercedes weren't in winning contention in 2023.
Speaking to DAZN about the pecking order for Sunday, Fernando Alonso said:
“Even Verstappen is not too far away, only four-tenths, and until the last attempt, we were even closer. So it’s probably our best qualifying of the year.
"Mercedes, who say they want to abandon the car and are always regretting, are actually very quick. They’ve been hiding. Halfway through the year, they will surely be able to fight for wins as they did last year in Brazil.”
Fernando Alonso tipped to break winless streak in 2023
According to F1 expert Martin Brundle, it's likely that Fernando Alonso will break his streak of not winning soon. Despite being a two-time world champion, he hasn't won a race since 2013.
During the first race of the season in Bahrain, Alonso impressed everyone with his well-deserved podium finish. He seems to have found an ideal platform to showcase his remarkable driving skills and excel with Aston Martin as he has achieved another podium in Jeddah.
Considering their form so far, Martin Brundle is convinced that it's just a matter of time before the 41-year-old driver wins his next race. Speaking about Fernando Alonso's current form to Sky Sports F1, Brundle remarked:
"Without a doubt, something will happen this year. It is a good car, he is in flying form. They have got a lot of development capacity in that team through the year at Aston Martin.
"They could well keep moving that car along, more than others who have less wind tunnel time, less digital wind tunnel time and the budget cap closes teams down as well - you can't just spend your way out of trouble in F1 anymore."
Alonso will be starting behind his long-time rival Lewis Hamilton at the 2023 Australian GP. It will be interesting to watch the two world champions battle it out at the Albert Park Circuit.
