Fernando Alonso hits out after Lando Norris took aim at Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso has batted off Lando Norris’ criticisms after the 23-year-old Brit claimed that Aston Martin have made the AMR23 ‘slower and slower’ with their upgrades this season.

The Silverstone-based outfit started the campaign as the second-fastest team on the grid behind Red Bull, with Alonso hoovering up podium finishes. The legendary Spaniard stood on the podium at six of the first eight races and, after finishing seventh on home soil, claimed that he would take to the rostrum at all remaining races in 2023.

However, Alonso’s second-placed finish in Canada proved a turning point for Aston Martin. The team have claimed just one podium since then with Mercedes, Ferrari and now McLaren passing them in the Constructor Championship standings.

This prompted Norris, who has accumulated six podium finishes in 2023 – four of which have come in succession ahead of the Mexican GP – to say: “It’s been clear that Aston are just, I don’t know, they seem to have made the car slower and slower with every upgrade that they brought.

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“I mean, they were racing Red Bull at the beginning of the year and I don’t know where they finished today [in Austin] but they were out in Q1 and they’ve been struggling.” Alonso, however, was unimpressed with these suggestions.

The two-time world champion explained: “I think it has been more consistent feeling and season than what maybe the results are showing. I think we’ve been balancing always the ups and also the downs. We’ve been always very focused on the performance of the car and tried to get better as a team.

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“Two years ago, this organisation was 250 people and now we are just a few points away from the very top teams in the Constructors’ championship and tasting the podium for a few times already this year. We have this new factory as well, a lot of new people that came to the team.

“I think around 200 points more than last year. So it has been an incredible 2023 campaign for Aston Martin. I know that we are more and more like football here and only the last result seems to count but we cannot forget where we come from and what the project is about so very proud of this season so far.”

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