Two-time former world champion Fernando Alonso said his army of home fans had given him a "special energy" Friday when he was second behind Max Verstappen in opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.
The 41-year old Spaniard, who has reeled off five podium finishes for Aston Martin in six races this year to take third place behind the two dominant Red Bull drivers in the championship, was only 0.17 seconds slower than Verstappen.
The 36-year-old @DjokerNole, a polarising figure in tennis, gave spectators a sarcastic round of applause and a thumbs-up@rolandgarros #FrenchOpen2023 @carlosalcaraz @RafaelNadal https://t.co/zFbiYFnnlz
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) June 3, 2023
"It is so tight here," he said.
"Just one or two-tenths can make a real difference in the classification, but we did all we wanted to do.
"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," he added.
He added that he was delighted with the big turnout of fans bedecked in the Aston Martin green in the grandstands and said it reminded him of his title-winning years in 2005 and 2006.
@SergioRamos, 37, arrived in #Paris in 2021 after a trophy-laden spell with @realmadriden@PSG_inside @PSG_English @TeamMessi https://t.co/g9EEmFb2yt
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) June 3, 2023
"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.
