Aston Martin F1 driver Fernando Alonso is still as quick and as cunning as ever

Fernando Alonso drove fantastically well around Albert Park, however, that wasn't the only factor that brought him to his third consecutive podium this season during the 2023 F1 Australian Grand Prix.

During the lap 57 restart after Kevin Magnussen's crash in the race, drivers experienced chaos on turn 1. Fernando Alonso was tagged by Carlos Sainz as the two Spaniards tried to take as much of the track as possible. This sent Alonso into a spin, however, it didn't affect him as much because of what came ahead.

The two Alpine drivers crashed into each other on the same turn, filling up the race with debris while Alonso was still recovering from the spin. The FIA stopped the race and the red flag was waved, again. However, this could have been a nightmare for Alonso as the FIA could have instated the current driver positions as the starting grid.

However, owing to the massive knowledge and experience he has, he spoke these words on the radio, ensuring that he would start from where he did before, hence saving his track position. Fernando Alonso said:

"Stupid rule, how the hell you can put a red flag before? Maybe because we don't complete a lap, we go back to the same positions like we did in Silverstone."

The apparent rule states that if no driver has crossed the first sector at the start of the lap when the red flag is waved, the original starting grid is reinstated.

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Fernando Alonso remains more competitive than ever despite his age

Fernando Alonso is the oldest driver on the grid, however, his experience has only helped him. Aston Martin has had an amazing comeback this season and in the three rounds that have taken place from the Formula 1 calendar, the Spaniard has been on the 3rd place podium. He stands ahead of all the drivers in the standings except for the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Jake Boxall-Legge wrote on Autosport that "F1 is better with him [Alonso] in it," owing to his nerve-racking performances this season. His skills had been waiting to be put in a powerful car for a long time. After his return to the sport with Alpine in 2021, he made quite an impression and proved that age is just a number for him.

Though his decision to join Aston Martin was criticized earlier because of where the team stood in terms of development, it can only be said that it was the best choice. The powerful AMR23 meets Alonso's expectations and syncs perfectly with his skills and we could perhaps be looking into a season of Fernando Alonso's success after a long break.