Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, Losail International Circuit, 2023

Alonso “very happy” with best starting position in nine races

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In the round-up: Fernando Alonso was pleased to secure his best grid slot since the Canadian Grand Prix

In brief

Alonso “very happy” to secure second row

Alonso qualified fourth on the grid in yesterday’s qualifying session after both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, had their best lap times deleted after the end of the session for exceeding track limits, promoting Alonso up two places. It will be Alonso’s best starting position since the Canadian Grand Prix back in June.

“I am very happy with qualifying in fourth position for Sunday’s race, after a few weekends where we weren’t as competitive,” he said.

“It was very tricky to manage with the slippery track and windy conditions. The car felt fast in FP1 and it felt good again later in qualifying. It’s only the first step and we have the sprint tomorrow, so let’s see what we can do as there are points available on both days.”

Hamilton eager for 11th team to increase diversity

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After Lewis Hamilton described the prospect of Andretti joining Formula 1 as an 11th team as “great” news, the Mercedes driver has emphasised he sees an opportunity to improve diversity in the sport.

“It wasn’t that I support Andretti,” Hamilton clarified. “I think from a driver’s perspective, it’s exciting to potentially see more cars.

“We have to make sure that the criteria, which is quite strict is really respected. And I feel like we need to amend the criteria actually, and make sure that there’s an opportunity for real impact, really making sure that if there is a new team, they have to be diverse. They have to perhaps create an opportunity for a female driver to come through. And it has to be diverse from the top up.

“At the moment, it’s all white owners. And there’s a real lack of diversity from the top down. It’s all male, and that needs to change. That was just my thought.”

Beganovic quickest in F3 test

Ferrari junior driver Dino Beganovic went fastest at the Formula 3 test at Jerez on the second and final day of running.

The Prema driver, who ended this season sixth in the standings in his rookie year, set the best time with a 1’29.900 on Friday’s morning session, just 0.033s ahead of team mate Gabriele Mini. Hitech driver Martinius Stenshorne set the pace in the afternoon session ahead of team mate Luke Browning, but the was significantly slower than Beganovic’s best from the morning.

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Comment of the day

After Lance Stroll failed to escape Q1 in Friday’s qualifying session for the fourth straight race weekend, Keith Campbell senses that the Aston Martin driver is spiralling…

The team can be late sending the car out or put the car into traffic and cause a setback, but a good driver will go out and set a solid lap to get themselves through the session more often than not. By his own admission, he had one lap time deleted to track limits and the final one just wasn’t fast enough, so he had two bites at the cherry and was still nowhere.

He seems to be getting worse the more ‘pressure’ he’s under. The end of the season can’t come soon enough for him as it doesn’t look like he’s even capable of scoring points from now on.
Keith Campbell

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Alexandre Carvalho and Renate Jungert!

Author information

Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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12 comments on “Alonso “very happy” with best starting position in nine races”

  1. Profile Photo

    pcxmac (@pcxmac)
    7th October 2023, 2:42

    Great opportunity for Alonso to hold his position in the points. As for Diversity, well, considering how bad most American drivers are, I hope Andretti racing would pick from the more talented pool that exists in Europe (facts). The world needs diversity of cultures, not superficial politics. For instance Andretti could contract with a couple skin heads from Alabama/Mississippi, and they could loiter at the back of the field, and everyone could cheer every time they get lapped, entertaining me thinks. Racism is about the status quo, and control, have fun with it, poo on it, flush it down the toilet, but never take it seriously, or it will become you.

  2. AlexS
    7th October 2023, 5:52

    Strange i have never seen Hamilton talking about Daimler-Mercedes in Second World War. Should Mercedes drivers be jews, gipsies for example Sir Lewis?
    So it is the 11th team that Hamilton do not belong to that have to do the policy that Hamilton wants…

    Diversity, hmm Lets for example have, ugly person, introvert person, engineer driver, an architecture driver, a medical driver, a writer, a cleaner driver, a criminal, 120kg weight person , 60 years person. People from all walks of life or it is just the classes that Sir Lewis define as “diversity” that are valid. Hmm ..seems huge privilege to have the power to define what is diversity…

    1. MichaelN
      7th October 2023, 13:44

      Strange i have never seen Hamilton talking about Daimler-Mercedes in Second World War.

      Max Mosley did, and it was one of the rare highlights of his time as FIA president.

  3. Profile Photo

    Jere (@jerejj)
    7th October 2023, 6:33

    Greatest ever, no.

    1. Nick T.
      7th October 2023, 8:03

      One of the Newey Williams cars deserves that label for sure. Possibly the one Prost drove.

      1. Profile Photo

        Esploratore (@esploratore1)
        7th October 2023, 21:12

        I thought the previous years’ williams was more impressive.

      2. Profile Photo

        Esploratore (@esploratore1)
        7th October 2023, 21:12

        year’s*

  4. Nick T.
    7th October 2023, 7:29

    Alonso’s consistency at peak performance levels is amazing. It’s why so many teammates get demoralized driving alongside him. Pretty wild Alonso is the only driver to make Q3 in every round and if it weren’t for suspension issues in Singapore, one of just (two?) to score points in every race.

    1. Profile Photo

      ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
      7th October 2023, 9:25

      Alonso the only driver to make Q3? Red Bull? McLaren? Mercedes? Ferrari?

      1. someone or something
        7th October 2023, 11:03

        You sound like you’re doubting Nick’s statement, but it’s a fact. Even the drivers from the top teams you’ve mentioned (it bears pointing out that McLaren were pretty much backmarkers at the start of the season) have missed Q3 at least once, and some of them even much more often than that. Alonso is in fact the only driver to take this hurdle every single time so far in 2023.

      2. Nick T.
        7th October 2023, 12:10

        Did you really think I was saying he was the only driver to make Q3 in Qatar?

    2. MichaelN
      7th October 2023, 13:46

      Verstappen and Hamilton scored in all races. Alonso and Sainz both missed one.

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