Aston Martin's performance has undeniably regressed in the past four races, but Fernando Alonso believes the team has taken a step back only to take two steps forward in the future.
After Team Silverstone's remarkable entry into the 2023 season, with Alonso claiming six podiums in the first eight races, the team's AMR23 has lost ground recently relative to its Mercedes and Ferrari rivals, while McLaren has now also put itself in the mix among F1's front-runners.
Since last month's Austrian Grand Prix, Alonso hasn't qualified higher than seventh while his best results on race day were a pair of fifth-place finishes, the most recent of which was achieved last weekend in Spa.
In Belgium, the Spaniard felt that his car's performance was once again on the rise. But regardless of Aston's position in the pecking in any given session or race, Alonso underscored the importance of the team sustaining its growth and progress.
"Not thinking too much into the future, thinking on these years only," said Alonso in an extensive interview with BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson. "The target is to keep growing as a team.
"We are finding some obstacles right now. We are dealing with some extra performance from our opponents, our lack of performance in certain circuits and these kinds of things, which I find very interesting and very useful for us as a team to grow up.
©AstonMartin
"We will always find difficulties and some obstacles in the way. And it's up to us now how to deal with those and overcome them.
"The team is really clever in some of the approaches it is taking now, and even if we are struggling a little bit in this middle part of the year, it will make us stronger in the future.
"So I am quite optimistic."
Nevertheless, the remarkable performances in the first half of the season of Aston Martin and its rejuvenated driver have been a sight to behold for Alonso's fans but also for F1 in general.
"It has been a great welcome from everyone that I go back to a more competitive position," Alonso says. "Also for Aston Martin - everyone is happy for a new team to join the fight. We see in the grandstands a lot of green colour.
©AstonMartin
"The old fans who still remember some of the good days, it is good to prove to them that I can still be quick and enjoy my driving. And for the new fans who maybe never saw me on the podium, it is good to have this possibility again."
At 42, is there no peak to the forever young two-time world champion's form and motivation? Like all athletes, Alonso's career in F1 has a finite duration. But for now, he suggests he's still aging like a fine wine.
"I am happy but still obviously room to improve," he says. "Only the first six months with the team and still there is more to come."
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