Even before the qualification today, Fernando Alonso cleared his intentions of fighting for nothing but the top spot yesterday. Against all odds, the Spaniard turned out to be the biggest threat to Red Bull and Max Verstappen‘s dominance. That is despite the fact that Lewis Hamilton is eyeing a comeback after the humiliation of 2022. The whole situation resulted in fans looking back to the 2011 season when Red Bull found themselves in a very similar position. The biggest coincidence about both situations is that Alonso was their biggest worry then, as he is now.

During the FP1 on Friday, Fernando finished 2nd quickest, behind only Verstappen. He separated the two Red Bull drivers, leaving those surprised who thought only a driver from either Ferrari or Mercedes could do it. During the 2nd practice session, the Aston Martin driver put up another splendid drive, finishing fastest and this time pipping even the reigning champion. That left the Dutchman asking some questions from his team ahead of the qualifying.

Christian Horner once openly declared Fernando Alonso a bigger threat to his team than Lewis Hamilton

This is not the first time the Austrian team has felt threatened by his brilliant abilities on the track. They were starting the 2011 British GP with a 1-2 front grid lockout. Mark Webber was leading Sebastian Vettel. However, their biggest threat was right behind their shoulder in 3rd, Ferrari’s Alonso.

Before the race, Ted Kravitz asked team principal Christian Horner who he considered his biggest challenge– the rain, Lewis or Jenson Button. Horner replied, “Fernando Alonso.” 

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As it turned out, the threat turned out to be more than real as the Prancing Horse’s driver snatched the win away from both their drivers, eventually winning with a gap of more than 16 seconds.

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As Aston Martin is now giving the top teams a run for their money, Mercedes is further falling down the pecking order. This has left Hamilton in a world of doubt.

Hamilton believes Mercedes are treading “on the wrong track”

After the worst season of his F1 career where he failed to register a single win, Hamilton was eager to come back stronger in 2023. However, three days of practice and Friday’s FP sessions have shown Mercedes still need to put in a lot more effort to match Red Bull and Aston Martin’s pace.

Speaking after Friday’s practice sessions, as quoted by Motorsport Turkiye, Hamilton said, “This situation is difficult for everyone. I think no one on the team wants to be in this situation and I think absolutely no one on the team deserves to be in this situation because everyone continues to work very hard.” [Translated using Google]

“Everyone is working very bravely and thoughtfully, but we are on the wrong track. So we have to keep working and find a way to put ourselves on the right track. But for now, we are far from the top names.”

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Do you think Alonso is as big a threat to Red Bull and Verstappen as he was in 2011? Or will the Silverstone-based team soon run out of steam as Ferrari did last year?