Fernando Alonso states Aston Martin ‘faster’ than Ferrari 

Spanish F1 driver Fernando Alonso is confident in Aston Martin's ability in the 2023 season, saying the team can even challenge the likes of Ferrari.

The British team caught everyone's attention in the paddock after their stellar performance in pre-season testing in Bahrain last week. They produced impressive numbers across the three days, especially in their long-run performances, and proved to be a match for the top three teams.

Many have even placed Aston Martin ahead of Mercedes going into the first race of the season in Bahrain this weekend. As per The Mirror, Fernando Alonso said that they were "slightly faster" than Ferrari in Bahrain.

He said:

"On the last test day, for example, we did a race simulation. Then we did 57 laps, the same thing we are going to do this week in Bahrain. We put fuel in for those 57 laps and did the full race with the full set-up, even changing tires. At the same time, Ferrari were doing the same program as us with the same fuel for the race, same stops – and we were slightly faster."

However, the two-time world champion further stated that Lance Stroll's presence was missed during testing.

"We missed him because of some of my comments and my feelings about the car, we never knew if it was just me in a new team and a new car, or if it was an Aston Martin thing that Lance could have spotted. We cannot do it without him so I hope he can come back very soon."

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"It was a very important and very nice week for us" - Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso said that pre-season testing was positive for Aston Martin as despite having different setups, they were able to produce excellent results.

Speaking to GPFans, he said:

"It was a very important and very nice week for us finally with the new car. We have been experimenting a little bit with very different routes on setups and we have always found positives in these new routes."

"There is a clear indication that we need to change philosophy on many things on this car compared to last year's car and that is a concern in a way because we need a couple of races to optimize the package."

It would be interesting to see if Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin can truly mount a challenge against Ferrari during the opening race of the season this week.