Fernando Alonso hopes to build on his second place finish in the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago with another strong performance this weekend at the Red Bull Ring.
The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team driver finished strongly in Canada despite unwarranted concerns over his fuel system, and he believes the team will be able to show good pace once more this weekend in Austria.
Alonso currently sits third in the Drivers’ Championship after the first eight races of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the same position Aston Martin hold in the Constructors’ battle, and the Spaniard is keen to help them improve and take the battle to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in second.
“It was great to return to the podium in Canada,” said Alonso. “The upgrades we brought to the car seemed to be working well and we will continue to optimise the setup as we go into Austria.
“It’s a fast and short lap here and it usually provides some good racing and overtaking. You have to be careful of the run-off areas and try to avoid damage to the cars with the harsh kerbs.
“I look forward to seeing what we can do. The target will be to keep up this form and score as many points for the team as we try to take back second place in the Constructors’ Championship.”
“FP1 is very much focused on dialling in the car” – Lance Stroll
Team-mate Lance Stroll heads back to Europe for four races across five weekends aiming to impress and improve on his ninth place finish in his home race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve two weeks ago.
The Canadian says the Red Bull Ring is a fun track to race at, but with a sprint format weekend ahead of everyone, he knows how important the one and only free practice session on Friday will be if they want to be competitive.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Europe for four races within the next few months, all on very different circuits,” said Stroll. “The Red Bull Ring is a challenging and compact circuit with two distinct halves.
“Whilst the first half has three DRS straights, the second is a sequence of quick corners, so it’s a fun track to race at.
“Our weekend changes slightly with the Sprint format, which means FP1 is very much focused on dialling in the car and getting up to speed ahead of Qualifying on Friday afternoon.
“The Sprint event on Saturday brings an additional element to consider across the weekend as we try and maximise our points return.”
