Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is pleased with “most competitive” race of the season yet in Canada.
Alonso qualified third in a wet Qualifying session but was promoted to second on the grid after a penalty for Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg.
The two-time champion however lost second to Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton off the line at the start but his upgrades meant that Alonso had “good pace” within his car, which paid off as he passed Hamilton for second on Lap 22 which he held to the checkered flag.
Speaking post-race, Alonso described his sixth podium of the season as “a great result for Aston Martin” in what he called his “most competitive race yet” of the campaign, with the upgrades “working well”
Alonso also praised Hamilton for providing him with “a close battle” to the checkered flag as he lifted and coasted to save fuel mid-race, which proved enough to beat the seven-time champion to second.
Reflecting upon that particular battle once he had regained second place, Alonso commented: “It was then like a qualifying session as Lewis was pushing at the end and we had to keep him there and not make any mistakes.”
Alonso also iterated that he is keen “to put more pressure” upon Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Austria, which sees the Sprint weekend format return with a Sprint Shootout and Race on Saturday 1 July ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday 2 July.
Team Principal, Mike Krack echoed Alonso’s feelings as he revealed that the Spaniard had been managing “a fuel system issue.”
“Good recovery drive”
Alonso’s teammate, Lance Stroll meanwhile recovered from a 16th-placed grid start due to a three-place penalty for impeding Esteban Ocon in Qualifying, ultimately bringing his Aston Martin car over the line in ninth position once a time penalty for McLaren’s Lando Norris was applied.
Stroll however was “unlucky” in making his first pit stop on Lap 11 before the Safety Car was deployed on Lap 12, due to debris from Mercedes’ George Russell clattering into the outside wall on the exit of Turn 9 which meant that the Canadian couldn’t enjoy “a cheaper stop” compared to his rivals.
The Montreal-born driver proceeded to explain his early switch to a two-stop strategy on Lap 27, as he said: “At that point our focus had to shift to damage limitation and trying to pick up a couple of points for the team.”
Stroll could of easily finished tenth if not for “a fun final lap” which saw him overtake Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas metres from the checkered flag, with his ninth-placed finish confirmed once Norris’ time penalty had been applied.
Stroll consequently felt that a ninth-placed finish – his fourth top-ten finish in five home races in Canada – was “a good recovery drive”, with “positives to take from the race; the AMR23 felt strong and was performing well.”
Krack meanwhile applauded Stroll for his “great comeback” with two “valuable points” which reduced Aston Martin’s deficit to second-placed Mercedes to 13 points in the Constructors’ Championship.
Addressing the timing of the Safety Car and its impact upon Stroll’s race, Krack commented: “He was heavily disadvantaged by the Safety Car. It came out a lap after his first pitstop, which cost him several positions and undid much of his hard work in the opening laps.
“He kept his head down and recovered well to take ninth place on the final lap.”
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