Fernando Alonso ‘prepared for anything’ as rain threatens Canadian GP weekend

Fernando Alonso has claimed he is “prepared for anything” ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix with rain expected to affect proceedings in Montreal.

Alonso has enjoyed a fine start to his Aston Martin career in 2023, finishing on the podium at all but two of the first seven races, but remains in search of a statement win for F1’s most-improved team.

The Spaniard came closest to ending his decade-long wait for a victory at last month’s rain-affected Monaco GP, where Alonso pitted for another set of slick tyres just as the weather turned and ultimately finished second to reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.

Representing Alpine, Alonso produced an inspired performance in the wet to qualify on the front row alongside Verstappen in Canada last year.

And following Aston Martin’s least competitive performance of the season at his home race in Barcelona, Alonso is excited about the prospect of more rain this weekend.

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He said: “We had a busy double header with Monaco and Spain and came away with 32 points as a team. The atmosphere in Spain was phenomenal, but we had a difficult Saturday and didn’t quite have the pace on Sunday to put a show on for the fans.

“Next up is Montréal, which is a historic circuit in Formula 1 and I have fond memories racing here.

“Last year, for example, I started second on the grid after a chaotic and wet qualifying session. It might rain again this weekend, so we will be keeping one eye on the radar.

“The circuit is fun and while overtaking can be difficult it can also throw up surprising races, so we will be prepared for anything.

“We have some upgrades this weekend and our aim is to have a smooth weekend and score the most points possible.”

Aston Martin’s weak performance in Spain led to suggestions that Mercedes and Ferrari, with both teams making significant changes to their cars in recent weeks, had overtaken the Silverstone-based outfit in F1’s pecking order.

However, Alonso warned that the state of play between the teams is likely to shift from race to race with Canada likely to provide “a completely different picture.”

He added: “I think it’s a race and in Canada we crush them.”

Aston Martin are poised to respond in F1’s development race by introducing a major upgrade package of their own in Canada, having fallen behind Mercedes in the fight for second spot in the Constructors’ standings at the Spanish GP.

The new parts are expected to address the AMR23’s drag deficit, with the car’s speed in a straight line regarded as its main weakness in the early months of 2023.