Fittipaldi: Alonso capable of bringing Aston Martin back

The the 1972 and 1974 F1 World Champion was speaking to Mybettingsites.co.uk following the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix where Alonso finished fifth following a solid drive from ninth on the grid.

Aston Martin emerged as the only challenger to Red Bull at the start of 2023, their AMR23 proving to be a handy piece of kit with which Alonso secured four third place finishes and two second places, as he scored points in every weekend so far.

But with Mercedes, Ferrari and most recently McLaren pushing their car developments, Aston Martin seemed to have fallen back in the pecking order.

But Fittipaldi insists it's a matter of other teams improving, rather than Aston Martin slowing down; he said: "I think Aston Martin’s performance has stayed the same as it was at the beginning of the season.

"Now, Mercedes are back and better and McLaren is much better. They overcame Aston Martin with what they found in the last few grands prix for sure.

"Aston Martin have to fight back," the Brazilian added. "They have to look for what and why they’re missing. They have the potential to be there but it’s always difficult when you suddenly have teams like Mercedes and McLaren back up there."

And Fittipaldi believes Alonso, an asset he believes Alpine lost, will be a driving force behind Aston Martin to get them up to speed again.

"I’m sure the hands of Fernando Alonso are very capable in bringing Aston Martin back and the team behind them is strong," the winner of 14 grands prix concluded.

As a matter of fact, When Aston Martin started off the 2023 F1 season in such good form, there were questions raised around the team whether they can sustain the development battles against the might of teams like Mercedes and Ferrari, keeping in mind McLaren's surprise leap following their midseason upgrade.

With Aston Martin still in their building phases - they moved into their new team headquarters during the British Grand Prix weekend - it seems they still need some time to become more efficient in the way they operate and develop their car.

They are on the right path though...