Aston Martin has been the surprise package of the 2023 Formula 1 season so far, and Fernando Alonso believes the team had a strong qualifying session at the Australian Grand Prix despite starting from fourth. The Spaniard stated that this was the closest they’ve been to pole position this year, with the car feeling fast and easy to drive.
Alonso aims to challenge Perez for driver standings
Alonso, who finished on the podium in each of the first two races and is currently 14 points off the championship lead, is focused on taking points out of Sergio Perez in the drivers’ standings as he starts from 20th on the grid. Mercedes were very fast in Q3 and did a better job, but Alonso believes that Aston Martin will try to challenge them in the race.
Mercedes making progress after slow start to season
Mercedes has started the season slowly for the second year in a row, but they showed signs of progress in Australia with George Russell qualifying second and Lewis Hamilton third. Toto Wolff, the team boss, stated that finishing P2 and P3 was much more than they expected coming into the weekend. However, one good performance does not dismiss the evidence that Mercedes’ car is ultimately not quick enough.
Mixed weather conditions forecasted for start of qualifying
Cold and mixed weather conditions are forecasted for the start of qualifying at Albert Park with a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius. This could make for tricky conditions on track, adding another element of unpredictability to an already exciting F1 season.
F1 Australian Grand Prix schedule and broadcast information
The final practice session will take place on Saturday morning, where teams can fine-tune their cars ahead of qualifying at 3pm local time (6am BST). In the UK, Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports with highlights shown on Channel 4. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK. F1 Australian GP qualifying coverage will start at 5:15am BST on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with highlights of qualifying broadcast on Channel 4 at 11:15am BST on Saturday morning.
Alonso aims to finish on podium at Australian Grand Prix
Despite starting from fourth, Alonso believes his race target of finishing on the podium is shared by three other teams given the performance shown so far at Albert Park. He noted that Mercedes were very fast in Q3 and did a better job, but Aston Martin will try to challenge them in the race.
In conclusion, Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin are confident ahead of the Australian Grand Prix despite starting from fourth on the grid. Mercedes shows signs of progress after a slow start to the season, but one good result doesn’t dismiss the underlying issues with their car concept. With mixed weather conditions forecasted for the start of qualifying, anything can happen in this exciting and unpredictable F1 season.
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