Seventh in Montreal, Alonso wants to "reduce the gap" with the top teams

“We’re racing, not testing.”, split Fernando Alonso on the radio during the Canadian Grand Prix, when his team asked him to take it easy on the entry to Turns 3 and 8. Never one to shy away from scathing responses, whether he's fighting for podiums or places of honor, the Spaniard has, above all, found a competitive car in recent weeks, since the updates made at Imola.

This weekend in Montreal, he achieved his best result of the season: 7th. Never beaten in qualifying or at the finish when he finishes a Grand Prix, Alonso is back to within six points of Lance stroll, 12th in the Drivers’ ranking with 14 points. "I am happy, he smiled at the F1 microphone. The car was good all weekend, not just during the race. In fact, the race was probably our weakest point here."

Since Imola, the Asturian bull has never left Q3. A significant rebound for Alonso, who had not finished better than 12th in qualifying previously this season. In Montreal, he felt that his position on Saturday was the key to scoring points on Sunday. "Thanks to our 6th place in qualifying, we were able to keep up the pace at the start of the race and create a gap, which became our safety barrier, especially for the pit stops.", he recalled.

Never satisfied, Alonso always wants more

At the start of the season, Alonso swore by 2026. Claiming that 2025 was of no importance to him, he insisted that the most important thing was to work on the new single-seaters being introduced next year. Since getting his hands on a competitive car, the two-time world champion's appetite has quickly returned. "We still have work to do, he insists. Today we were the best in the midfield, but the Top Teams are still quite far ahead and we have to reduce this gap.".

At 43 (he will be 44 on July 29), perhaps the Spaniard is beginning to feel that these are his last opportunities to shine. Aston Martin is a project for the future, but he no longer has time to wait. So he continues to point out the shortcomings of his car. "It gives us a little more confidence to attack, but there are still weaknesses, he says of the improvements. We haven't solved everything, especially regarding the race pace."The old warhorse is never satisfied, but isn't that what makes him the champion he is?

ALSO READ > Canadian GP – Key figures from Antonelli's F1 podium