After signing off on an outstanding and very hopeful pre-season, Fernando Alonso continued to amaze on the first day. Bahrain GP. In the morning, he finished second between the two Red Bulls using the same dough as Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen. The Mexican took 4 decimals from him and Fernando left the Dutchman 2. And in the evening session, which was already night and took place in conditions similar to tomorrow’s in the ‘qualifications’, the Spaniard once again rang the bell and climbed to first place in the first lap, throwing the new soft. by 1:30.907.
Verstappen put on soft tires to approach Alonso’s record, although he was unsuccessful. While Fernando copied parts of the RB19, the expectations of his followers “increased”. Admittedly we need to wait, maybe dampen the enthusiasm, but with no definitive confirmation in tomorrow’s qualifying (4:00 PM), it looks like Alonso has arguments to start dreaming for the first time in years.
And while references in free practice are never conclusive, the first day also shows that between Leclerc and 2 tenths of a second, Mercedes was behind Ferrari’s performance. hamilton. Monegasque finished fourth, 4 tenths behind Alonso’s time and well ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz (14th), who failed to make his expected debut with the new Ferrari.
The Madrid driver made a spectacular high-speed comeback in the morning session and saved it without any consequences, thanks to Sakhir’s escape from Turn 9.and in the afternoon he failed to be in the front zone and finished more than 1 second behind the fastest.
Lance Stroll began to suffer after completing 20 laps. His interim sixth place confirmed the AMR23’s good vibes, but the Canadian, who had a wrist injury surgery in Barcelona last week and passed his FIA medical examination yesterday to get into the car in Bahrain, admitted he wasn’t. in the best driving conditions. Aston Martin box, Stoffel Vandoorne and Felipe Drugovich’s backups, who replaced him in the preseason, are gearing up in case Lance fails to compete in the championship opening this Sunday.
Verstappen also bet on Alonso
Some speak of the ‘soufflé’ in the face of the phenomenal progress made by Aston Martin, which finished seventh in the standings last year. But the truth is, the F1 paddock is very cautious about the performance of Alonso’s AMR23, as there is no official confirmation coming this Saturday in the first pole position challenge of the season. Even the 2023 World Cup favorite, two-time champion Max Verstappen, admitted that Asturian’s options seemed real before he joined Red Bull at Sakhir.
“It’s hard for me to guess exactly where they are at this point, but when I look at Fernando’s (Alonso) face, I see that he is optimistic when I talk to him, and it’s good to see that. Of course, you have other teams that are very close. When I see Fernando like that and hear how motivated he is to keep racing, I think it’s possible.”