Fernando Alonso makes a shock prediction about the team to beat in the upcoming F1 races

Fernando Alonso had an average race weekend at Zandvoort on Sunday, ending the Dutch Grand Prix behind both Ferrari and Mercedes. With nine races remaining in the 2024 season, the two-time world champion has now made a shocking prediction.

Unlike last year, where Alonso was challenging for podium finishes, he has been unable to keep up with the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, and McLaren. Speaking to racingnews365.com, Alonso claimed that Ferrari would be the team to beat within the next couple of races.

“I think the top four teams, maybe Mercedes, are a little bit up and down, but McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari, they are podium contenders every weekend. The next two races [not including the Azerbaijan Grand Prix between them], for example, Ferrari should be the car to beat," Alonso said

“What we saw last year in Monza and Singapore, Leclerc's win in Monaco this year, for Singapore, I think they will be the favorites,” He further added, highlighting Ferrari's top performance last year.

A Ferrari fan page has also shared this claim by the Spanish racer on X. Here's a look at the post, captioned:

🎙️| Fernando Alonso: “Ferrari will be the car to beat in the next two races.” 👀👀

Ferrari and Alonso have quite a history in Formula 1. The Spanish driver was the first to defeat the dominant pair of Michael Schumacher and the Italian team to win the world championship titles in 2005 and 2006.

After spending a year with McLaren and two more seasons with Renault afterward, Alonso joined the Scarlet Red outfit as a replacement for Kimi Raikkonen in 2010. He remained with the team until 2014.

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Fernando Alonso's 2024 Formula 1 season with Aston Martin so far

After finishing fourth in the 2023 driver's table, Fernando Alonso positively began his 2024 Formula 1 Season. However, things turned out differently for the Spanish driver since the season-opening race in Bahrain.

Apart from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Alonso failed to finish in the top five in the first six races. Aston Martin's performance began to deteriorate after Emilia Romagna. Since then, Alonso has only 16 points from seven races before the mid-season summer break.

At the recently concluded Dutch Grand Prix, the double-world champion added one point to his tally by finishing tenth. As of now, Fernando Alonso has managed to score 50 points in the 2024 season. He is currently ninth in the driver's championship, ahead of his teammate Lance Stroll (24 points).

With nine more Grand Prix to go, Alonso will be looking at maximizing the result every race weekend.