Aston Martin anticipates a Fernando Alonso vs Max Verstappen battle once it understands the upgrades: Reports

Fernando Alonso might be close to battling with Max Verstappen in the 2023 season, a fate that has been achieved by no one so far. The latter has kept his win streak alive, marking his 41st and Red Bull's 100th race victory after winning the Canadian Grand Prix earlier.

Even though he was untouchable in the race, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the No. 14 Aston Martin was in close range of the Red Bull by the end of the race. While it seemed almost impossible for an overtake, the Silverstone-based outfit crew certainly believed they will soon be close in that battle.

According to a report from AMuS, wind tunnel data and simulations of the AMR23 have proven strong enough to battle Red Bull this season. Owing to the fact that second-placed RBR driver Sergio Perez is only nine points ahead of Fernando Alonso in the championship, these upgrades could mean that the Spaniard might become a contender for the world championship; or at least remain in the top two.

Fernando Alonso's AMR23 leads Lewis Hamilton's W14 during the Canadian Grand Prix (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

It has also been reported that Aston Martin will introduce further upgrades at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix this season. The team has been performing flawlessly in contrast to their 2022 season and is currently in the top three battle for the constructor's championship.

---

Fernando Alonso hoping to 'pressurise' Max Verstappen in later races

Fernando Alonso brought home yet another second-place finish at the Canadian GP. He was trying to push his car more to battle with Max Verstappen but was soon asked by his team to 'lift and coast,' something that is usually asked by the team when a car is running low on fuel.

While the double world champion wanted to push more, he dropped back and defended against Lewis Hamilton to follow his team's orders. Later, it was discovered that there wasn't much need for lifting and coasting since the 'alarm turned out to be a false' one, as stated by Mike Krack, team principal of Aston Martin.

This certainly gives hope to Fernando Alonso, who mentioned during his post-race interview that if he was able to keep up with Verstappen under those conditions, he might as well put him under more pressure in future races.

"So yeah. Hopefully, that means that we have got even more pace. So, next one, putting more pressure on Max."

With the upgrades and pace that the team is awaiting, it might be possible to see a battle for victory between the two double-world champions. However, as of now, Verstappen has a comfortable lead in the world championship.