Verstappen hopes Alonso can fight for the title in 2023. After his podium finish at the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, where he finished third in his Aston Martin, will Fernando Alonso be able to fight for the championship in 2023?

Two-time world champion Max Verstappen hopes Fernando Alonso will be able to fight for the world championship throughout the year after the Spaniard scored his first podium finish with his new Aston Martin team in Bahrain on Sunday.

Fernando Alonso – who joined Aston Martin this season after leaving Alpine at the end of 2022 – finished on the third step of the podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix, just behind the two Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

The Aston Martin team has clearly made a huge step forward this year compared to 2022, which could mean that Fernando Alonso could potentially challenge for the title this season if his Aston Martin continues to perform well on the other tracks on the calendar.

Verstappen wants a title fight

Meanwhile, reigning world champion Max Verstappen says he hopes to see Alonso in the championship battle this season after several years on the sidelines in the various teams the Spaniard has driven for.

“I hope for Fernando because he’s had a few years where he hasn’t really had a chance to fight at the front,” Verstappen said on Sunday night in Bahrain after his first win of the year.

“I’m really happy to see him sitting here in the first race [in the press conference]. I also think, and I’ve mentioned this before, that at Aston Martin they have the right mindset and the right dynamics.”

“They want to win and they have hired a lot of people and I guess it can only get better for them.”

“I think this year it will be hard to say if they can fight for the championship, but race wins are definitely on the table.”

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“I’ve been in that position before where some races I’ve finished 20-40 seconds behind the winners. But you always win two or three races a year because sometimes there are tracks that really suit your car and everything falls into place.”

“Sometimes you can win a race with a little help or a little luck. But anyway, for sure they have a really strong package, and now it’s about developing it further.”

After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Max Verstappen leads the world championship, the Dutchman ahead of teammate Sergio Perez by seven points and Fernando Alonso by ten points.

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