Alonso back on TOP while Red Bull sizzle as F1 reveal summer break update

Formula 1 have shared an amusing summer break update of their drivers in the form of a cartoon.

Bring on the summer break! 🏕️😆#F1 @redbullracing @AstonMartinF1 @AlpineF1Team @MercedesAMGF1 @McLarenF1 @ScuderiaFerrari @AlphaTauriF1 @HaasF1Team @WilliamsRacing @alfaromeostake pic.twitter.com/lgxQcqd56K

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 31, 2023

Depicted in the top right corner is the two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard can be seen popping a bottle of champagne in a tree house.

The image accurately reflects his form in the earlier part of the season, where the 42-year-old picked up six podium finishes for Aston Martin, leading everyone to believe Alonso would be the man to challenge Max Verstappen for the 2023 F1 title.

However, more recently, Alonso has struggled to reach the heights of the start of the season. After an underwhelming seventh-place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix, Alonso claimed that it would be "the last race without a podium". Since then, he's only had one.

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{inlineimage[https://sportsbase.io/images/gpfans/copy_620x348/367c01aa475903c078c19ba6fc55e8941948fd78.jpg][Alonso finished P5 at the Belgium Grand Prix, his highest finish since his P5 result in Austria][2]}

What has gone wrong?

Aston Martin continues to exceed expectations compared to last season. Its outstanding start to the campaign surprised both the paddock and the audience.

Although the team's performance has dropped, achieving 11 consecutive points-scoring results was seen as a resounding success if offered at the end of 2022.

Aston Martin's higher-ups attribute the slide to the competitiveness of the current field. They assert that Aston hasn't fallen behind and may even be closer to Red Bull than at the season's beginning.

However, different teams' timelines for introducing upgrade packages mean more cars are now challenging the Red Bull.

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