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Fernando Alonso has claimed that his performance levels since the start of the 2023 F1 season have not fluctuated and he's still performing at the same level that he was doing at the start of the season. The Spaniard started the season with a ban and still has more podium finishes than any other driver from the chasing pack.
Fernando Alonso has seven podiums, Lewis Hamilton has 6 and everyone else has fewer than that. The Spaniard even secured a podium in Zandvoort after the summer break in mixed conditions. However, amidst all this, Alonso's team has suffered from periodic decline.
Since the major upgrade introduced in Canada, the car has not shown positive signs and Fernando Alonso's podium run and even points have taken a major hit. When questioned if just like Aston Martin, his performance had dropped off, Alonso said that wasn't the case. The Spaniard used the example of Max Verstappen and said that the Dutch driver's bad weekend in Singapore did not mean he performed poorly, he was just limited by the car, just as Alonso is at the moment. Speaking to RacingNews365, he added:
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"I think the same throughout the season, but at the beginning of the year, I was fighting for nine or 10 points, and now I'm [fighting for] four or five, but I'm at the same level. It’s like Max [Verstappen], he didn't wake up this weekend and drive back on the top [as if] in Singapore he was just sleeping. He was P11 in Singapore and he was the best of all of us. He’s on pole [at Suzuka] and he's still the best."
We were right to be concerned: Fernando Alonso about Suzuka's performance
Talking about Aston Martin's performance in Suzuka as he barely made Q3 and Lance Stroll could not even escape Q1, the Spaniard said that the team had expected the performance to drop this weekend. He said:
"I think on paper, we were right to be concerned about the high-speed corners and the nature of Suzuka. As we are in Qatar as well, we know that on paper, maybe Qatar is not also the best circuit for us. But even on difficult days, we still managed to be in Q3 thanks to a very good lap. This type of qualifying, it will be unnoticed by many people, but I'm very proud."
The race is expected to be a battle with tire degradation one of the major talking points. Fernando Alonso will be hoping to score a few points this weekend with the car under him.
