F1 News
Alonso notices Mercedes improvement: 'They are making steps forward'
- Sophia Crothall
It was a solid weekend for Aston Martin, who finished sixth and seventh in Canada, behind both Mercedes drivers who finished third and fourth. For Fernando Alonso, he has noticed the improvements the team has made. The Spaniard is concerned that his team need to pick up the pace if they want to compete with the Silver Arrows.
In the Constructors standings, 66 points separate Mercedes and Aston Martin. Sunday's race also saw the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Alonso, with the former coming out on top in the end. Just 14 points separate the pair of world champions in the Drivers standings. Speaking to GPblog and others in the paddock, Alonso shared how he had noticed the improvements the competitors had made: "I think they are better for sure. They are close to podium positions now in the last few events. Also in Monaco, they were very fast. So yeah, they are making steps forward."
'We are trying to be as competitive as possible'
On Friday, the Aston Martin driver had topped the charts in FP2, but qualified sixth on Saturday for the race. The Spaniard is aware that it is now the team's responsibility to improve their performance: "I think it's down to us to really improve the car. We are a little bit slower sometimes than we were at the beginning of the year. I think we understand now why, and we are trying to be as competitive as possible, hopefully in a few races."
Nevertheless, Alonso remains confident in his team's abilities, having also re-signed his contract with the team beyond the 2024 season. "This is a very dynamic sport," he said. "You are constantly learning about the car, about the new packages that you introduce. You are also looking at other cars and other philosophies, and you are trying different things. I think the last few months, they were very productive for us in terms of understanding the car. So I'm very confident," the Aston Martin driver concluded.
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