Still smarting from defeat at the hands of Mercedes at Barcelona, Fernando Alonso vows that Canada upgrade will allow his team to "crush" its German rival.

Following a string of podiums, Barcelona was a wake-up call for Alonso and Aston Martin, for though the Silver Arrows claiming two places on the podium was bad enough, it was the manner in which Lewis Hamilton and George Russell left the Spaniard and his Canadian teammate for dead that really stung.

For some time the Silverstone-based outfit has targeted Canada as the venue for its much-anticipated upgrade and for Alonso it cannot come quick enough. Indeed, the Spaniard has been pushing his team hard for the upgrade.

"He is right to ask us and push us for that," admitted team boss, Mike Krack in Spain. "There will be something coming in Canada. It will be a step."

Mercedes introduced its upgrade in Monaco, but it wasn't until Barcelona that it really made a difference, while the upgrade introduced by Ferrari in Spain did little to help the SF23's inconsistency.

Indeed, after just one race, Krack insists that it is impossible to truly evaluate his rivals' packages.

"When we look later in the race, when we had the hard tyres on for example, we were completely in the game again compared to the competitor," he said. "So, we really need to understand what happened in the beginning there.

"It went obviously overcast very quickly, from very sunny to overcast, which we thought would help the soft tyres," he added. "But we need to understand why there was this difference in competitiveness at different times of the race."

Though Hamilton (and Stroll) were quicker than Alonso in qualifying, Krack points to the Spaniard's off in Q1 which damaged his floor.

"It is too early or too easy to say that," he replied when asked if qualifying showed the true pace of the field, "because we have not seen the full picture. It's something that is similar to how it is in the beginning of the year, when we say we need three races to see where we are really.

"Now it could well be that others have made a bigger step. But our early analysis so far doesn't reflect that."

Meanwhile, talking to SoyMotor, Alonso can't wait for the upgrade.

"Looking at the constructors', it's true that Mercedes gained some important points," he said, "but we again gained points on Ferrari.

"In Canada, we'll bring more things, and in Silverstone too," he added, "It will all depend on which team is bringing updates.

"Even then, with a normal qualifying, we would have started alongside Hamilton and could have had some better chances," he insisted. "It's just one race... and then in Canada, we crush them."

Now that's fighting talk!

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Chester, 08/06/2023 11:33

"I hope Alonso is right. I shudder that we are returning to Mercedes on the podium again. Just a bad, bad dream for me. But I have been accused of wishful thinking before."

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2. Posted by Celtic Tiger, 07/06/2023 20:28

"All I can hear when I read "It's just one race... and then in Canada, we crush them." was Arnold as Conan the Barbarian saying that last line.

Nomad Chief: "Alonso! what is best in life?"
Alonso: "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentations of the women.""

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3. Posted by BrightonCorgi, 07/06/2023 14:51

"I don't think Mercedes has taken weeks off either. This is the Stroll's home race, but that alone does not dictate when upgrades are introduced. I don't think Aston can keep up with the engineering updates as well as Mercedes, but let's see!"

Aston Martin to "crush" Mercedes in Canada, vows Alonso

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