Max Verstappen thinks Fernando Alonso could be capable of winning races this season with Aston Martin showing strong pace in the first race of the year.
No-one was capable of touching Red Bull during the Bahrain Grand Prix. Verstappen sped off into the distance from the moment the lights went out and Sergio Perez, after an initial tussle with the Ferraris, was able to finish comfortably in second place.
But the podium was not completed by a Ferrari or a Mercedes – as would usually be the case – but by an Aston Martin. Alonso had driven the AMR23 superbly and the Spaniard was clearly loving how competitive his machine was on track.
Verstappen is not sure Aston Martin will challenge his team for the title this year – but sees no reason why Alonso and Lance Stroll can't win races in 2023. "Fernando has had a few years where there was not really a possibility to fight at the front so I'm happy to see him sitting here already in race one," he said.
"At Aston Martin, they really have the spirit and drive, they want to win and they've hired a lot of good people. So I guess it can only get better for them. And I think for this year, it's difficult to say if they're going to challenge for the championship, but race wins are definitely on the table."
Verstappen's opinion does not seem to be shared in the Mercedes garage. Both George Russell and team principal Toto Wolff said in the aftermath of the Bahrain race that they expect Red Bull to go on to win every single race this season – so large is the performance gap.
"Red Bull have got this championship sewn up. I don't think anybody is going to be fighting with them this year," declared Russell. "I expect them to – or they should – win every single race this season.
"We're here to win and if we've got to sacrifice some races or part of the season to give ourselves a chance to get a car that can fight – whether it's in the second half of the season or even if it's looking forward to next year – then that's maybe what we’re going to have to do because clearly we are a long way behind."
And Wolff later added : "With my sporting aspirations, it was bad to see our deficit. We don't want to finish second, we want to win. But there is a team miles ahead. They are playing with the competition – they don't even have tyre wear. After the first Grand Prix I also believe that they will win every race this year."
