Alonso: Red Bull record F1 run ‘motivation to get to that level’

Fernando Alonso says he’s not become demotivated by Red Bull’s dominance denying him the opportunity to end his protracted Formula 1 victory drought this year.

The Spaniard has taken advantage of Aston Martin’s emergence as a front-running threat this year to scoop seven podium finishes to lie third in the Drivers’ Championship.

While Alonso has registered a trio of second-place finishes this year, his attempts to secure a first F1 win since May 2013 have been thwarted by Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s remarkable record runs.

After winning 10 of the remaining 11 races of 2022, Red Bull have surged to victory in every race to be held this season, with Verstappen winning the last 10 consecutively.

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Alonso asserts that both Red Bull and Verstappen’s unbeaten streaks derive from both parties operating at the top of their games in every aspect, even highlighting the driver’s role in the team regularly posting the fastest pit stop times during races.

“I think both Red Bull and Max, they are connected. They share, you know, they are outstanding in everything they do,” Alonso said ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

“I think Red Bull has the fastest car, taking care of the tyres better than others. They have the best starts, they have the best pit stops, they are like the best in every area that you could wish. The best top speed, the best low-speed performance, the best DRS delta. There is not one single aspect of that car that can be matched at the moment for anyone.

“And with Max it’s going to be the same thing. He’s the best in qualifying, he’s the best in the race, he’s the best in battling, he’s the best at his stops.

“At his stops it’s true that two seconds is the record and Red Bull does always the fastest pit stop and the mechanics are doing a great job. But also the driver needs to do his part there and never make a mistake in the position of the car, these kind of things. And he’s doing nothing wrong.

“So the two together are just incredible in breaking all these records of victories and things. And let’s see what the others can do and what we can do to get to that level.”

However, the two-time World Champion has denied that being denied an elusive return to the top step of an F1 podium by the Austrian outfit has left him feeling bitter in any way.

Instead, Alonso maintains that Red Bull and Verstappen’s ongoing success provides a source of motivation for both him and Aston Martin to match their standards.

When asked if he was frustrated by Red Bull’s winning run, Alonso responded: “No, it’s a motivation to get to that level.

“I think in some weekends we are at that level, but in our window of performance, I think like Zandvoort or Monaco or Canada, I think the team is just extracting the 100% of the car.

“We do perfectly [the] strategy, good response, good start, and I feel connected to the car as well, so I’m driving that extra percentage. I think Max is doing that more often. He’s doing that every weekend and it’s what we need to achieve in the future.”