The oldest driver on the grid has redefined racing amongst the younger generation this season. The Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin in 2023 is like the Alonso in his McLaren and Renault days—fighting at the front of the field, maximizing his car’s potential, and frequently appearing on the podium. It’s like Novak Djokovic said at Wimbledon, “It’s great to be a part of the next-gen. 36 is the new 26.” While he is proving he can compete against the younger generation in tennis, Alonso is proving the same in Formula 1—41 is the new 21—outperforming almost the entire grid every race weekend.

As talented as he is, it also comes down to his car. The AMR23 started the year just behind Red Bull at the front. From the get-go, Alonso had the machinery to compete for podiums. And he ensured he did every race. But then, Mercedes also started developing its car, and it joined the party behind Red Bull. Currently, they’re the two teams closest to Red Bull in the championship, fighting for P2. But Mercedes has found more performance over the past few weekends, leaving Aston Martin to trail behind and play catch-up. 

While discussing his British GP weekend—where he finished seventh—he said, as quoted by formulapassion.it, “I think we got the most out of a demanding weekend like Silverstone. Now let’s focus on Budapest.” Rewind to the 2003 Hungarian GP. Fernando Alonso, in his Renault, won his first F1 race. While reminiscing about the good old days, he explained, “I have many good memories of racing at the Hungaroring. I won my first Formula One race in 2003, exactly 20 years ago, and it’s often where I celebrate my birthday. It will be strange to celebrate it this year in Belgium, but let’s hope we have something else to celebrate this weekend.” 

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The last time Alonso stood on the podium was at the Canadian GP four weeks ago. Since then, F1 has traveled to Spielberg and Silverstone, featuring tracks with predominantly long straights and fast corners, which didn’t suit the AMR23 too much. But in Hungary, with its slow corners, Alonso is hopeful of a good weekend for the Silverstone outfit—looking forward to giving his team a trophy to celebrate. The last time Fernando stood on the top step of the podium was at the 2013 Spanish GP. While recreating his maiden win from 20 years ago at Budapest might be too optimistic, one believes he could achieve that feat sometime this season.

Could Fernando Alonso rain on Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s parade?

Red Bull has proved too strong a force for every other team this season. Its RB19 has won all 10 races so far, having won 11 in a row considering last season’s Abu Dhabi GP. When Max Verstappen won the British GP, the team equaled McLaren’s 1988 record of 11 wins in a row and looks to break it in Budapest. Given how it’s been performing this season, there’s a high possibility that it will happen, and Red Bull could become the first team to win every race in a season.

But it might get tricky towards the end of 2023. Teams will keep developing their cars till then, hoping to close the gap with Red Bull. and if Aston Martin can find that kind of performance, Alonso could be the one to break the streak. While discussing whether Red Bull could win all the races this season, F1 champ Damon Hill said, “My experience says they won’t [win all races], that Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton could end their winning streak.”

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Could Fernando Alonso win his 33rd race this season?