Fernando Alonso’s first season with Aston Martin is off to a flying start, as the Spaniard has powered the team into second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
With a refreshed outlook at his new team, the two-time world champion is seeing success on track that he hasn’t felt in a long time.
Despite being the oldest driver on the grid, Alonso has outscored his rivals, taking the third spot on the podium in every race of the season so far.
This consistent performance puts him ahead of his teammate Lance Stroll and in third place in the Drivers’ Standings.
Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies
However, Alonso’s success is not just down to his on track performance, Aston Martin has benefited from the FIA ruling in their favour on two occasions.
In Saudi Arabia, the FIA penalised Alonso, initially stripping him of the podium, before a protest from Aston Martin saw it reinstated.
Around the Albert Park Circuit in Australia, Alonso profited from the FIA’s ruling again when officials chose to revert to the starting order of the second red flag restart, handing him back his third place position before the last lap.
“What a blinder Aston Martin have played. In the last two races, they’ve managed to get two sporting decisions to go their way,” Ted Kravitz said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
READ: Pierre Gasly has ‘nothing to say’ to Esteban Ocon as team-mate denies ‘hard feelings’
“[There was] ‘No, the jack didn’t touch the rear crash structure… okay it did, but if it did then it wasn’t working on the car’, went their way. And, ‘Let’s start from the grid, just ignore the fact our car spun and they may have passed some kind of timing’.
“They’ve played a blinder, haven’t they? People call it luck – no no, there’s no luck about it. Fernando wasn’t lucky, Aston are absolutely playing a blinder on getting these decisions go their way,” he added.
Aston Martin stands in second place in the Constructors’ Championship with 65 points after three places, while Alonso has 45 points in the Drivers’ Standings, nine behind Sergio Perez and 24 behind Max Verstappen.