Fernando Alonso's 'too good to be true' podium in Bahrain fuels ...

Fernando Alonso said his third-place finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday was “too good to be true” and fueled the belief he could win again in Formula One. Here’s what you need to know:

• In his first race for Aston Martin, Alonso finished in third place behind the dominant Red Bull cars of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.
• Alonso narrowly avoided being taken out by teammate Lance Stroll on the first lap but went on to overtake Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to take third.
• It is Alonso’s 99th career podium, his first since Qatar 2021, and has renewed hopes the 41-year-old could end a win drought stretching back to 2013.

“When you are P3 on race one, there are 22 opportunities this season [to win],” said Alonso. “Even last year, I remember in Canada, wet qualifying, we were the first row of the grid. Anything can happen in 22 races with different conditions. I will try my best to have the opportunity.

“Maybe we need some help. Last year, we needed some help from the top teams just to get a podium. Maybe this year if there is this help or some retirements in front of us, or some problems, maybe it’s more than a podium. Let’s hope for that.”

When Alonso announced last August he would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin, a team that then sat ninth in the championship, many questioned his decision.

We’ve since heard plenty from Alonso about his belief in the vision of Aston Martin and its owner, Lawrence Stroll, who has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into building the next great F1 team. But it wasn’t until we saw the Aston Martin car on track this week that it really became clear just how much of a step forward the team had made over the winter.

An aggressive car redesign, following the concept used by the title-winning Red Bull team last year, made Aston Martin a team to watch through testing. The hype only grew when Alonso led practice on Friday before placing fifth in qualifying cooled expectations a bit.

But his performance in the race, defeating the Mercedes and Ferrari cars on track, and clearly loving every single moment in the car point to a driver excited by future prospects.

It all so nearly ended in tears for Alonso and Aston Martin on the very first lap. Alonso didn’t make the best of starts, slipping behind Hamilton — and then felt a tap from behind as Stroll ran deep at Turn 4. Alonso thought it was Russell and only found out after the race it was Stroll, who admitted it was “really lucky” he only glanced at the rear of Alonso’s car and that both could continue.

Alonso spent the opening stint trailing both Mercedes cars but was quickly putting pressure on Russell, who had a struggling Hamilton in front of him. Alonso managed to pick off Russell just before coming into the pits for the first time at the end of Lap 14. The pair went side-by-side through Turn 4, but Alonso was bold to pull ahead on the high-speed Turn 5.

After pitting, Alonso passed Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas — who got ahead after pitting much earlier — before setting his sights on Hamilton and gradually reducing the gap. After both drivers pitted, Alonso’s superior pace was clear as he initially tried overtaking at Turn 4, only to back down. He plotted his move a few corners ahead, dummying to the right as they went through Turn 9 before diving down the inside at Turn 10 — a corner few drivers use for overtakes.

“It was more of a surprise move there because no one overtakes into Turn 10,” said Alonso. It was a daring move that won the applause of the media center.

With Charles Leclerc out of the race due to an engine failure, Alonso was now fourth and quickly closing on the second Ferrari of Sainz, who was struggling with tire degradation. He considered another move at Turn 10 but decided to bide his time and use DRS coming out of the corner before going up the inside at Turn 11. Sainz stood no chance of keeping the Aston Martin back, while Alonso reacted on the radio: “Yes! Bye-bye!”

The closing laps saw Alonso take it easy, taking time to comment on how enjoyable the car was to drive and ensuring he got the car home to record a notable third-place finish for Aston Martin. The team didn’t finish a race any higher than sixth last year.

“It’s too good to be true,” said Alonso. “You’re always expecting something, you will get a step back and get back to reality. But it seems real, the performance.”

The result means Alonso moves to 99 F1 podiums. But it will be win No. 33 — the “mission” his fans have coined for this year on social media — that is the next step for him and Aston Martin.

For more on the Bahrain Grand Prix, read The Athletic’s live blog here.

(Photo: Clive Mason / Getty Images)