If there was one team this season whose chances seemed like they were withering away, it was Aston Martin. After starting the season with the second-best car on the grid, the Silverstone team lost out in the development race to Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari. From fighting for podiums almost every week, Fernando Alonso had to settle for places in the lower half of the top ten at best. But now, after the Brazilian GP that saw Alonso secure a well-deserved podium, it looks like Aston Martin has swapped fortunes with Mercedes.

The 2022 Brazilian GP was the best race in Mercedes’ tenure last season. Capping the weekend off with a 1-2 finish—George Russell ahead of Lewis Hamilton—the Brackley outfit seemed optimistic about its chances at Interlagos once again this year. Unfortunately for them, it didn’t work out that way.

Fernando Alonso got a podium and a laugh at the Brazilian GP

It’s like Mercedes has gone into self-destruct mode in the past few weekends. Tensions that started at the Japanese GP when the Mercedes boys were fighting each other instead of Ferrari have only gotten worse. While Hamilton and Russell are putting up a united front for the public, when their visors are on, the shackles are off. Remember their Qatar GP collision on Lap 1? Or even Russell’s frustrated radio messages at the Brazilian GP? Everything points to things going south for Mercedes.

Their car’s performance didn’t make the situation better. While they were hoping for a good result in Brazil, it was anything but that. After starting the race in P5 and P8—Hamilton ahead of Russell—it ended with the seven-time champion in P8 and Russell with a DNF. The W14 just wasn’t up to the mark this weekend. And as Mercedes struggled, Aston Martin picked up the scraps. Following a stellar qualifying that saw Aston lock out the second row—Stroll in P3—the pair converted it into a commendable result. 

Alonso in P3 had Sergio Perez behind him almost throughout the race. But the Spaniard kept his cool and drove a near-perfect race. Although Perez got past him in the dying stages, Alonso retook P3 on the last lap, a fight that lasted till the finish line. Securing P3 by just 0.053 seconds, Alonso scored his first podium in Brazil since 2013. After crossing the line, he asked, “What happened to Mercedes?” His engineer took a dig at Mercedes and replied, “They’re dying.”

Mercedes’ form in 2023 may be slowly dying, but Alonso’s fighting spirit never does. He proved it in his fight to the line against Perez, a fight he called “intense.”

Read More: Fernando Alonso Made to Curb Ambitions as Lando Norris & Lewis Hamilton Serve Brutal Reality Check in Brazil

Fernando Alonso was glad it was Perez he fought against

After an early Red Flag during the race, Alonso restarted the Brazilian GP from P4, with Hamilton in P3. While Max Verstappen and Lando Norris took off following the restart, Alonso made a classic Alonso move on Hamilton to take P3. From there on, as he left the dying Mercedes in his rearview mirror, Perez started catching up. In a chase that went on for almost the entirety of the race, Alonso wasn’t just happy with the way it ended, but also with who he was fighting.

In a post-race interview, he said, “It was intense. For me, it was a little bit easier until the last five laps. I thought I had everything under control but then, when I started pushing five laps to the end, he seemed closer. So, I didn’t understand where his pace was coming from. Two laps before the chequered flag, he overtook me. I thought everything was done by that moment but in the last lap, I had another chance and I went for it. And very close to the line. Very aggressive moves, a lot of respect, and I’m happy it was with Checo, and we could put on a good show.” 

WATCH THIS STORY | Will Fernando Alonso & Aston Martin Be a Top F1 Championship Contender Soon?

Do you think Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin can continue this form into the last couple of races of 2023?