After the recent exhibition in Zandvoort, Fernando Alonso returned to the podium, reclaiming a place after two and a half months without a top result. He arrived in Monza with confidence, aware that the Italian circuit has not traditionally favored Aston Martin. The AMR23 has shown top-speed weaknesses on tracks like Monza, but the team insists that a tangible improvement has been made and that a solid result is within reach this weekend.
Monza is a track that requires delicate balance between drag and aerodynamic efficiency. The team has acknowledged that their straight-line speed was a problem earlier in the season, yet they remain hopeful. Alonso notes that the long straightaways and the Temple of Speed demand a car that can perform well in high-speed sections. He emphasizes that the objective is to secure a competitive result as the car evolves, and he remains cautious yet optimistic about the potential at Monza.
Alonso arrived without fixed expectations, focusing on track behavior and car dynamics from the outset. Earlier in the year, the team would have flagged this race as a concern due to Aston Martin’s strength in corners and weakness on the straights. While there has been considerable progress, Monza still presents a daunting challenge that the team is eager to confront and overcome.
F1’s age is not a matter
One of Alonso’s main goals is to widen the gap to Hamilton in the fight for third place in the Drivers’ World Championship. The six-time race winner from Britain sits in sixth place after Zandvoort, trailing by a dozen points. In a July press conference, Alonso addressed questions about Hamilton’s long career and whether renewal at Mercedes could change the balance of power.
He argued that teams face the continuous challenge of time in the motorsport world. If he were the team principal and had to choose between Hamilton and a younger talent or a rising F2 driver, Alonso would still pick Hamilton because experience matters and parity is hard to beat. He also noted that age only matters when performance or motivation falters, and Hamilton’s persistent excellence remains a key factor in the sport’s ongoing competition.
Alonso stresses that age should not be a limiting factor if a driver remains fully motivated, focused, and capable of delivering peak performance. The conversation about Hamilton’s longevity was framed as a reflection on dedication and the demands of a global sport where travel and fatigue can affect life on the grid. Alonso’s perspective is that commitment and consistency are the true tests of a driver’s durability.
“Homework completed” in Monza
Aston Martin’s team in the Netherlands rolled out a major update after the summer break, introducing a new floor and aerodynamic refinements intended to boost Alonso’s performance after securing six podiums earlier in the season. The upgrades paid off, and Alonso finished second behind Verstappen on home soil. The team, however, remains measured in its assessment and keeps its long-term evaluation balanced against rivals.
Team management emphasizes the importance of competing on every track if they aim to contend for the championship. On Monza and in similar venues, the focus remains on finishing the job and applying the learned improvements to upcoming races. The leadership, including the team principal, underscores that progress has been made, but there is awareness that other teams faced their own issues in races and that continued consistency is essential. Monza, with its unique layout, requires continued validation of the aero setup and wing choices to determine if the improvements hold across different sections of the circuit.