2023 with Aston Martin has been nothing short of a dream for Fernando Alonso. But the position the Spaniard finds himself in this season and possibly for the foreseeable future may come off to many as being too good to be true. And maybe it is! While Alonso is arguably slowly and steadily building toward that elusive 3rd driver’s title, there seems to be an inherent impediment that may actually doom his whole pursuit.

During today’s Austrian GP, we saw a different Fernando Alonso. While his teammate, Lance Stroll was ahead of him during the early phases of the race, the man from Oviedo never really troubled the Canadian about taking that place from him. This has sparked a bizarre rumor that may, in fact, be true.

Fernando Alonso’s hands are tied at Aston Martin

For us, Alonso is arguably one of the best drivers on this grid. But for Aston Martin’s owner, Lawrence Stroll, he is equal parts an asset to the team and equal parts a threat to his son’s F1 career. This reasoning may actually clear up the air about Alonso’s cautious approach to Stroll in today’s race.

French sports broadcasters, CANAL+ have come out with a thumping statement. According to them, there lies a sinister behind-the-scenes power move that has seen the 41-year-old behave differently when he’s on track with Stroll Jr.

They suggested, “We now know that, in the contract, there is a ban on overtaking at Aston Martin.” [translated via Google Translate]

Still, at the end of the day, he did finish ahead of Stroll in 6th, and has much more to be happy about than sad.

Read More: “Fernando Is No Better Than Last Year”: Months After Alonso’s Ugly Split With Alpine, Esteban Ocon Gives Honest Opinion About His Arch-Rival

Fernando Alonso shares two key takeaways from the Austrian GP

Right now, Alonso’s fight in 2023 is focused on securing P2 in the Constructors’ standings for the team, and a P3 in the Driver standings for himself. And from that point of view, he had a splendid day in the office.

Post race, he was quoted as saying “It was close. Only the last lap I really had the chance to overtake. Three points more than Ferrari, eight points more than Mercedes, so we take those!”

Can the Silverstone-based team end up as the 2nd best on the F1 2023 grid?

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