Fernando Alonso reveals ambitions to beat Sergio Perez in the championship

Fernando Alonso is confident of beating Sergio Perez for second place in the drivers championship in 2023. The Spaniard is nine points behind the Mexican and had a confident, one-word reply to the question. He has also sent out a warning to Max Verstappen.

Asked in the post-race press conference if he could beat Perez to second place in the championship, the Spanish driver said:

“Yes.”

Asked about the issue with the car and what he expects at the next race in the podium interviews, Fernando Alonso said:

“I don't really know. They didn't tell me so maybe it was not to make me worry too much. But I don't know. I felt the car was OK. But I was just following the instructions. So yeah, hopefully that means that we have a little bit more pace. So next one, putting more pressure on Max.”

Although Fernando Alonso had an issue with his car and was asked to ‘lift and coast’ during the race, the Spaniard was able to maintain a decent gap on both Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

The double champion believes he can beat Perez for second place in the driver’s championship. There are nine points between the two drivers, and the Spanish champion has stayed on the podium in six out of eight races so far.

At the current rate, it won't be surprising if he finishes the championship closer to Verstappen than expected. The veteran was optimistic about their upgrades and warned the Dutch champion that he would be hunting him down.

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Fernando Alonso expects to be more competitive at the Austrian GP

F1 Grand Prix of Canada

Fernando Alonso believes the sprint weekend in Austria will be difficult but expects to be competitive. The Spanish champion claims they still have to optimize their upgraded package, and the track layout could potentially suit them better than in Canada.

The Austrian track layout, being a more conventional one with smoother asphalt, tends to suit the new generation of cars better. However, the sprint format of only having one free practice available can reduce vital track time.

Overviewing the next race weekend in Austria, the Spanish champion said:

“Yeah, Austria, yeah, let’s see. I think the sprint weekend will not be ideal for us. We still have more time maybe of free practice with our new upgraded car. We still need to understand and optimise the package a little bit and in Austria, obviously with the sprint, we will have only FP1 to do that. But yeah, it is what it is."

He added:

"The circuit will be good and maybe better for the package as well, this one with a strange layout, let’s say. Maybe good for Ferrari, historically here as well with a long straight and short corners so maybe Austria we have a little bit more pace.”

With the Austrian circuit being home ground for Red Bull, the team is expected to be strong. But the short layout with undulating corners could suit their rivals just as much as it could suit them.

After the current race result, Fernando Alonso is closing in on Sergio Perez in the championship and desperately in the hunt for a win. His only competition or hurdle to challenging Verstappen could be Ferrari or Mercedes.