Alonso: 2023 my best F1 season alongside 2012 Ferrari title miss

Fernando Alonso believes his 2023 season with Aston Martin was his best year in Formula 1 alongside his 2012 campaign with Ferrari, in which he narrowly lost out to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

Alonso took fourth in the drivers' championship, finishing ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on countback and one point ahead of McLaren man Lando Norris, as Aston Martin's AMR23 enabled him to take regular podiums in the early part of 2023.

The Spaniard claimed a podium in six of his eight first races at the Silverstone outfit. And while the going got tougher for Aston as the season progressed, he still found moments to excel, including a scintillating last-lap battle with Sergio Perez that yielded his eighth and last podium in Brazil.

The 42-year-old feels his 2023 performance stands alongside 2012 as his best year in F1 when he went to the title decider still in the hunt despite driving a Ferrari that was no match for Vettel's Red Bull. He ended up conceding the title by three points following a rollercoaster Brazilian Grand Prix.

"I'm happy with the personal performance. I think together with 2012, it's the best season for me in my driving and I was happy with everything – motivated, I was fit, I was performing in difficult conditions sometimes."

When asked for his best drives of the year, he replied: "Bahrain, Monaco, Canada, Monza and Brazil would be my top five of the year.

"And I put Monza on purpose because it was a ninth place. It was not a podium, it was nothing that people will remember, but probably we had the slowest car in Monza or the second slowest, and to be in the points was one of those weekends where everything was very good."

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR23

Alonso felt his new team's wild celebration of each of his many podiums was infectious and thinks it's important that spirit carries over into next year when the novelty of success will have worn off.

"I had it in the past, but I think the team is maybe more new to this," he said. "They had a couple of nice results with Force India, with Racing Point, but to be regularly on the podium or fighting at the top level is new for many people.

"I think they enjoy it more than other teams and more than previous experience for me. This was contagious and this energy was very nice to witness.

"We are celebrating every result as a win and this energy is important to keep for next year."

Additional reporting by Alex Kalinauckas