F1: Fernando Alonso claims Lance Stroll as his Hero after Aston Martin’s winning start in Behrain

Bahrain: The 2023 Formula 1 season is well and truly back with Red bull’s Max Verstappen winning the race and his teammate crossing in second to make it a 1-2 for the defending constructor champions also Fernando Alonso got a podium his 99th overall and his 1st with Aston Martin team.

The race as a whole

The race started quite badly for Fernando Alonso as he was trailing at the very first lap but with few minor adjustments he came bearing down on his Spanish compatriot Carlos Sainz of Ferrari to take the final podium and his teammate also drove very well to finish in 6th place and take Aston Martin in 2nd place in the constructor’s championship.

Overall Max Verstappen fully dominated the race and won by a comfortable margin compared to his teammate and others but it was Fernando who stole the show here.

Lance is my hero

“First of all, my congrats to my teammate Lance. Twelve days ago he had surgery and now he is fighting here right with everybody. It’s amazing for the team,” said Alonso of his teammate who was sixth on Sunday.

He said it was unreal that Aston Martin, who finished 12th and 17th in last year’s Bahrain race, had produced the second-fastest car at the opening race.

“It’s been a great weekend,” he said. He added that Stroll’s gutsy performance and determination to race, just two weeks after cracking both wrists and breaking a toe in a pre-season cycling accident, was inspirational.

“He’s my hero! If you had seen his hand and his feet, you think he cannot race. He is phenomenal and it’s inspiring to see his determination and motivation. He deserves a good podium very soon.”

“Obviously, I would love to start in front of the Red Bulls and Ferraris and use our pace, but we had not the best of starts and so I had to pass cars on track.

“It meant it was a bit more exciting and more adrenaline for me for sure. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed it. We did! Let’s enjoy it together.”