In the Spanish Grand Prix first practice session, Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion, finished second to Max Verstappen. He credited his army of home supporters for giving him a “special energy” on Friday during Spanish Grand Prix.
The 41-year-old Spaniard was just 0.17 seconds slower than Verstappen despite having five podium finishes for Aston Martin in six races this year to move into third place in the championship behind the two dominant Red Bull drivers.
It’s crowded in here, he said.
“Just one or two-tenths can make a real difference in the classification, but we did all we wanted to do today. “Our upgrades have helped. All of them, which is something that is always the case with this team.
“I must say I am very happy with the upgrades, but we will see for real tomorrow,” he added. He expressed his delight with the big turnout of fans, who were bedecked in the Aston Martin green in the grandstands. He mentioned that it reminded him of his title-winning years in 2005 and 2006.
“I can feel the support and the special energy it brings. I can hear them and feel it and I want to put on a good show for them,” he said after outpacing team-mate Lance Stroll by almost a full second.
He said he believed the team had learned about tyre performance and found the track to be a little slower than expected, encouraging him to believe that with more set-up ‘tweaks’ he can go faster again.