AThe Canadian Grand Prix begins, the ninth round of the Formula 1 season on the well-appointed and improved Gilles Villeneuve semi-urban circuit and it does so with Fernando Alonso who arrives wanting to turn the page on what happened in the last two rounds of Imola and Monaco where he could not score after doing so in the first six consecutively.
“It was a coincidence. Bad qualifications, especially Monaco, which ruined the whole weekend. But we are in better shape than last year. It is difficult to explain it, because last year at this point we had several podiums and were fighting at the front, and now we are not near the podium but we are more aware of the situation, the needs of the car and what is being done right and wrong in the development. There are black or white answers that were gray last year. We have only had nine races out of 24 and I think we will end the year in a very strong position,” says the Spaniard. who achieved pole and victory on this track in 2006 (Renault) and also two fastest laps in 2003 (Renault) and 2007 (McLaren) and four podiums, the one in 2006, 2010 and 2013 with Ferrari and 2023 with Aston Martin, although it is also the layout in which he has not finished the race the most times, with 8.
Alonso does not doubt for a second that the team will improve its performance at any time. “I believe that this team and this project have all the ingredients to be successful. We have the new factory, the wind tunnel soon, great sponsors, the car company behind it with the leadership of Lawrence Stroll. It is an iconic brand in the history of motorsports. “You have to put all the pieces together,” he advances into the team owner’s house.
“We cannot forget that two years ago we were a team of 300 people, now we are almost 900 under another name. It is a bit unfair that we compare ourselves to Ferrari or Mercedes, very established teams with continuity for many years. We are new and yet last year we saw that we can be as strong as them, and this year we will be stronger. By 2026, especially with the new rules, we have a chance. “The same or even better than the rest.”
Lance Stroll adds his voice to this optimism: “I hope we are more competitive, At the end there are long straights on this circuit and we are more efficient there, so I hope so.
