Alonso: The F1 paddock knows who the five best drivers are

Declaring that the paddock knows who the top five drivers are, he 'of course' is among them. Speaking after finishing P7 at the Canadian Grand Prix, Alonso said that, despite his results, “everyone knows who the five best drivers are” - and that he is 'of course' one of them.

It was only his second points finish of 2025, following a ninth place at the Spanish Grand Prix the week prior, and brought his total to eight championship points. He currently sits 16th in the standings after nine races. Still, Alonso maintains his form isn’t the entire picture.

He told DAZN after Montreal: “Sometimes I’ve been unlucky in my career. Others get frustrated when they finish fifth a few times. But I’ve been eliminated in Q1, I once blew up thirteen engines in one season. In this sport, you just have to be mentally strong.”

It has been Alonso’s slowest start to a campaign since 2015, when he managed his first points only at his ninth race in a McLaren struggling for competitiveness. Aston Martin, meanwhile, had loftier ambitions after their 2023 breakthrough and expected to be firmly in the mix with F1’s top teams in 2025. The gap has widened instead.

Despite growing external calls for retirement, Alonso remains defiant. “Those are voices from outside,” he said. “In the paddock, everyone knows who the five best drivers are. Outsiders look at statistics and think that whoever wins the most is automatically the best. But not everyone agrees with that.”

For Alonso in his 22nd season of F1, racing remains a passion, not a burden. As for retirement, he said: “I don’t feel it yet. I’m happy when I’m on the grid. Even if the result is bad, I’m motivated to do better next time. The stopwatch will decide in the end. If I get worse physically, if I get pain when I’m driving, or if I’m just not fast enough anymore, then I know it’s time. But for now, I’m happy with how I’m performing.”

Formula 1 returns to the Styrian hills this weekend for Round 11 at the Red Bull Ring, where Alonso will look to continue the points-scoring momentum. But it is the following race at Silverstone where he is more optimistic.

Looking ahead, Alonso said: “Silverstone makes me curious. It’s our home race, with the factory around the corner, and we bring upgrades there. In Barcelona and Canada, we were also better on Saturday than in the race. We have to analyse that.”

Across the road from Silverstone, fresh from their state-of-the-art HQ, Aston Martin will hope the updates help close the gap to the front-runners starting at the British Grand Prix. For Alonso, it’s another chapter in a season that has tested his resilience, but not shaken his belief.