Fernando Alonso produced a mighty performance for Aston Martin at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Pedro de la Rosa says.
Alonso finished in fifth place in Jeddah to bring home 10 points for Aston.
And team ambassador De La Rosa was full of praise for his efforts during an appearance on the F1 Nation podcast.
Alonso qualified in fourth place, only behind polesitter Max Verstappen, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
While he lost a place to McLaren star Oscar Piastri in the early stages of the race, he was able to hold off the Mercedes of George Russell under sustained pressure.
Teammate Lance Stroll crashed out in the early stages, but Alonso ensured that Aston Martin consolidated their grip on fifth in the constructors’ standings.
Pedro de la Rosa applauds Fernando Alonso
De La Rosa feels that Alonso is in an even better place than he was at this time last year, when he scored back-to-back podiums in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
That’s because the two-time world champion is settled in the team, having made the move from Alpine following the 2022 season.
Alonso is the oldest driver on the grid at the age of 42 but his compatriot says he continues to deliver at a ‘fantastic’ level.
“What we can see from Fernando is that he’s a lot more integrated in the team,” he said.
“He knows everyone in the team, he knows our tools, he knows the simulator.
“He’s just working for performance daily, he’s not adapting, he doesn’t need time to know the team.
“We are getting the most out of Fernando, just because he’s fully integrated to the team.
“But he was fantastic last year as well, and he’s continuing to be fantastic.
“When the Spanish TV said ‘what is the headline of the weekend for you?’, I said, ‘the headline for me is that Fernando continues to be a beast’.”
Will Alonso stay at Aston Martin?
Alonso has three options as he nears the end of his contract with Aston Martin. He could push for an extension with the team, he could look for a way out, or he could hang up his helmet.
It’s been claimed that he’s becoming increasingly unhappy at the Silverstone team as they fail to challenge for race wins.
And he’ll be aware that there’s a vacancy at Mercedes as former teammate Lewis Hamilton prepares to join Ferrari.
Lawrence Stroll will surely be desperate to keep hold of Alonso, who once again underlined his enduring class last weekend.
Echoing the sentiments of De La Rosa, former Sauber engineer Ruth Buscombe hailed Alonso’s ‘great’ result.
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