F1 fans recently came across a statistic that many termed as more of a curse than a statistic. That was the statistic pertaining to the winner of the season’s opener. Since 2017, no driver who has won the first race of the season has gone on to win the championship. Now, another statistic has surfaced on the internet, which has left fans in a frenzy. That statistic, much to the dismay of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, almost guarantees a 3rd championship win for Fernando Alonso.

As we entered the first race weekend in Bahrain, many believed that Ferrari and Mercedes will take the fight to Red Bull. However, to the surprise of many, it was Aston Martin that came out on top. In FP1, Alonso separated the two Red Bull drivers, finishing 2nd fastest. In FP2, the Spaniard bettered his own performance and Max’s to come out quickest. And now, by a whisker, he has beaten the Dutchman once again in the third practice session ahead of qualifying.

Is 2023 going to be the year for Fernando Alonso?

From 2017 to 2020, Hamilton set the fastest lap in FP2 of the first race fixture of the year. In 2021 and ’22, Verstappen achieved that feat. Do you get where we’re going with this? In each of those years, both Hamilton and Verstappen went on to win the championship. However, this time around, it was Alonso who clocked the fastest lap and, as the hype was building around him, it reached another level as this insane stat popped up on Twitter.

Have a look at how fans reacted to the good omen for the 2-time champion.

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Even Dan from The Engine Braking podcast could not hide his excitement.

Another fan found it difficult to express their feelings in words.

Some fans made some extreme resolutions to celebrate if the stat turned out to be true.

Even a Hamilton fan was fine with watching Fernando win, as long as it wasn’t Red Bull taking the crown once again.

Some found it difficult to understand how an FP2 stat could cause so much excitement among fans.

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Do you think the Spaniard will keep the statistic going with the newfound brilliant run he is having? Or will Red Bull or any other team break the chain?