Fernando Alonso Will Become World Champion If This Weird Pattern Holds True
F1 data shows a strange pattern which, if it continues to hold true, would mean Fernando Alonso is on his way to his third drivers' championship title win.
Since 2017, the driver that has put in the fastest time during FP2 for the first grand prix of the season has gone on to become the World champion for that year.
The Spanish driver topped the time sheets during the second practice session ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday in the Aston Martin AMR23 with a time of 1:30.907.
Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001 and is the longest-standing drivers on the grid currently, as well as the oldest at 41-years-old. However, he has no plans on retiring at the moment, and that could be the best decision for the Spaniard.
The two-time champion won his first championship in 2005 and his second in 2006 whilst driving for Renault. And now, 17 years later, he could be one his way to win his third.
Alonso revealed he was parting ways with the Alpine team during the 2022 season and was moving to Aston Martin, taking Sebastian Vettel's seat after he headed into retirement. The team has made huge improvements from last season have already had a strong start to the 2023 season.
The Spanish driver has topped both the FP2 and FP3 sessions ahead of qualifying and has very quickly become the one to watch to threaten Max Verstappen.
Both Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are also looking to break the record for a race win after racing in over 300 races. No other driver has won a race after participating in 300. Many eyes were on Hamilton as the one likely to break this record this year, however, with this surprise improved performance from Aston Martin, it could now be Alonso that breaks this first.