Max Verstappen on Aston Martin’s race pace - “They look very competitive”

Max Verstappen feels Aston Martin have always had a strong race pace and could compete for the podium spots in the Bahrain GP.

While the reigning world champion agreed that the Silverstone-based team were underdogs, he preferred to analyze their pace after the race.

Asked by Sportskeeda in the post-qualifying press conference where Aston Martin were in the mix after evaluating their performance over the last two days, Max Verstappen said:

"Yeah, for sure, they look very competitive. And I think already not only this year but last year. Their car was maybe not that amazing but I think in race pace, they were always quite strong compared to their competitors. So they probably took that also into this year."

"So for sure, they will be very competitive in the race, but a bit difficult to tell. But again, like I said before, a lot of things can happen throughout the race, with certain safety car moments or whatever, you need to make the right calls at the right time as well. You don't even need to have the fastest car then of course to win."

Answering the same question, Ferrari driver Charles Lecerc said:

“Oh, they've shown a very promising race pace in FP2, but again, FP2, it's very difficult to judge because you don't know the fuel level they had in the car. But I think they will be strong in the race, probably quicker than what they've shown in qualifying, even though they were pretty close. But yeah, let's wait and see tomorrow.”

Fernando Alonso topped the timesheets in two of the three practice sessions ahead of the Bahrain GP. According to the Spaniard’s race simulations, he was able to match Max Verstappen with the soft tire compound.

The Spanish driver spoke with Sportskeeda after qualifying and said that Aston Martin were in a good place for the race.

The former Renault driver downplayed the team's performance throughout the weekend, but admitted that podiums were a realistic target after evaluating their qualifying performance.

Verstappen was also impressed with Aston Martin and is confident that the Spaniard will be in the mix at the front, as the team have historically been known for their strong race pace.

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Fernando Alonso agrees with the assessment made by Max Verstappen of the Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso agreed with Max Verstappen’s assessment of Aston Martin's car, saying the team expects a better showing than their performance in qualifying. Asked to respond to the Dutchman’s assessment, Alonso admitted they were aiming higher than the fifth place they will be starting at.

The former Alpine driver was overwhelmed with the competitiveness of their car and felt they needed a clean, error-free race to reach their targets.

Asked about the assessment made by Max Verstappen on their race pace, Alonso replied:

"Yeah I agree. It feels so strange to say that we start P5 or maybe we are aiming for more. We thought to be honest that the first three teams were untouchable this year, with the advantage they had last year and (we ) maybe try to lead the midfield and mix the midfield."

"But now we say we start P5 and fight with Ferrari for the podiums, this is just incredible. Let’s just keep them going just keep working. Keep the feet on the ground and execute the race with no mistakes, good starts, good pit stops and let’s see where we are. But so far we are living a dream."

Alonso’s last podium was in Qatar in 2021, where he finished third behind Max Verstappen and former teammate Lewis Hamilton, who won the race. The podium came after a seven-year dry spell with midfield teams.

While his Alpine stint yielded just one podium finish, his move to Aston Martin might be one of his better career decisions if they continue to remain competitive. According to George Russell, they are more worried about Alonso’s pace than Ferrari's this season.