Alonso gives BOLD verdict over F1's 'Champions League' teams

Fernando Alonso has insisted Aston Martin are playing in the 'Champions League' of Formula 1 this year, despite their recent drop-off in performance.

Alonso, who joined the team at the start of the year on a multi-year contract, benefitted from a superb start to the season.

The F1 veteran secured a podium place in five of the first six races of the campaign, propelling himself behind Max Verstappen. However, in recent weeks, Alonso and team-mate Lance Stroll have been hampered by a drop-off in pace.

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There has been just one further top-three finish for Alonso since, forcing him to lower his expectations despite initially dreaming of surprise race wins.

Alonso, though, has pointed to the unpredictable nature of the sport's development scrap and is confident Aston Martin remain firmly competitive.

Aston Martin's biggest challenge

Speaking to the media, including GPFans, ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, he said: "I think this is Formula 1 and these things are changing so quickly. So I think it was a surprise for us.

"The car was fast but I think the team was outstanding over the winter, understanding what the problems were last year. I think reliability, everything, the strategy, we did things really well in most of the races to get those results.

"It's not only the pace of the car; you need to master everything in the weekend from free practice one until Sunday.

"And then, yeah, I think we are like playing in the Champions League at the moment and we are finding ourselves with the very top teams, trying to over-develop off-track and this is going to be the biggest challenge for Aston Martin now."

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