“Red Bull is untouchable”: Fernando Alonso brushes down chances of winning home F1 race in Spain

Fernando Alonso is skeptical about his chances of winning the 2023 Spanish GP, given the dominance of the Red Bull.

The Spaniard felt that other rivals upgrading their cars in Barcelona leaves them unclear, where they stand in the pecking order.

Speaking in the drivers press conference after the Monaco GP, Fernando Alonso said:

“Yeah, it will be but I don't think that I will not put any pressure on my team or myself into next week. We saw today on race pace… yesterday was very close in qualifying but today in the race, we saw Red Bull again, very dominant. So we have to accept that things into next weekend will be maybe as we saw in any other race this year, where Red Bull is untouchable."

"And we have to see in a normal circuit, what is the package of Mercedes and the upgrades that Ferrari will bring apparently to Barcelona as well. So we have to have the feet on the ground and as I said in Miami, it’s going to be a few weekends in the year that we will just be seventh and eighth and we have to accept that and some others that we will fight for podiums. So I will not get into Barcelona, thinking that I will win, and disappoint anyone. We have to have the feet on the ground.”

Oblivious about rivals and the upgrades, Fernando Alonso believes that it will be difficult to predict their chances of winning at the Spanish GP. He also stated that Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s dominance wasn’t easy to counter on the Barcelona circuit.

While Aston Martin’s engine manufacturer Mercedes will be bringing upgrades to their car in Spain, the Spanish driver felt it is too early to determine their own performance against their immediate rivals apart from Red Bull. He predicted that 2023 will be a mixed bag for Aston Martin where track sequencing will play a key in determining their performance.

The Spaniard last won on home ground in 2012, the year he fought Sebastian Vettel for the championship till the last lap of the last race.

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Fernando Alonso evaluates his chances for the championship in 2023

With consistent results in the top 5 in all the races of the 2023 season so far, Fernando Alonso is now only 12 points behind Sergio Perez who is currently running second in the drivers' championship.

The Spaniard feels the Red Bull dominance makes it difficult to predict his chances in the title race and try and emulate a 2010 or 2012-like season. In 2010 and 2012, the double champion gave Sebastian Vettel and his dominant Red Bull a run for their title until the final race of the season despite the underwhelming tools provided by Ferrari.

Asked about his chances in the title fight in the 2023 season, Fernando Alonso said:

“Let's see. I think in any other… of the seasons that I remember, back in the 2000s or early 2010s, I will be leading the championship with the results that I got this year but now there is Red Bull and Max dominating every race and even with great results, you're just stepping behind them, every race. So I don't know."

"We didn't have the best car in 2010 and we arrived leading the championship in Abu Dhabi. We didn't have the best car in ’12 and we still fight for the championship until the last lap in Brazil. So the championship is long, we will not give up. We will need weekends where Red Bull has some issues like Sergio had here with the DNF or zero points."

"And if Max has one or two of those, we will be a little bit closer in the championship. This is motorsport. Anything can happen. But on pure pace. I think we don't have the chance yet. But we will not give up for sure.”

At the moment Fernando Alonso has secured four third-place podiums, one fourth-place finish, and a second place in Monaco. While an odd tire strategy call by Aston Martin compromised his chances of a victory in Monaco, the street circuit in the principality was a golden opportunity to secure a victory.

The Spanish driver’s last victory was at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix and he still remains in the hunt to score his 33rd victory in the 2023 season.