Fernando Alonso - Photo: RacePictures

Alonso makes bold statement amid Aston Martin’s late-season revival

10:36, 18 Oct

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byTobia Elia

Fernando Alonso managed to put his Aston Martin sixth on the grid in Sprint Qualifying for the Austin Grand Prix.

“Definitely happy. P6 for us is one of the best qualifying's of the year”

- Fernando Alonso

The Spaniard secured one of his best qualifying results of the season at COTA, having already taken fifth place in qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this year.

Commenting on his sixth-place finish to F1 TV, the two-time world champion said: “Definitely happy. P6 for us is one of the best qualifying's of the year. We put together a lap in Q1 and Q2 to go through, and then in Q3 we maximised the opportunity.”

Shifting his focus to the race, the Spaniard added: “It’s going to be tough tomorrow. Two Williams behind and two Ferraris. We know they should be ahead, but we’ll try to keep them behind for as long as possible.”

Fernando Alonso - Photo: Race pictures

Finally, when asked whether results like this feel like a win in what has been a difficult season for Aston Martin, Alonso replied: “I feel happy, for sure. On the personal side, I think I've been performing well this year, especially in qualifying.

“In the races we fall back to our natural position sometimes with some up and downs through the season, like everyone, but it will not be a season to be remembered in 2025 in terms of our points and performance.

“We keep pushing and I feel fresh, motivated. These kind of results, for sure, give me an extra boost.”

Alonso assesses Verstappen’s title chances

Max Verstappen snatched pole position in Sprint Qualifying right at the end, edging out Lando Norris by just 71 thousandths, with Oscar Piastri slightly further back in third.

The result underlines Red Bull’s progress in recent races, even though, on paper, COTA was expected to suit McLaren’s characteristics more than those of the RB21.

The Dutchman will now have a chance to claw back more points in today’s Sprint, although the gap in the standings remains significant. Speaking to GPblog ahead of the United States Grand Prix, the Spaniard shared his thoughts on who he believes could come out on top in Abu Dhabi.

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