Perez wary of Aston Martin: "Looking very strong"

"They look very strong. I have good friends there and I would be very proud of all the guys for the progression because they deserve it," Perez is quoted by Motorsport.com quoted. The Mexican previously competed for Force India/Racing Point, the previous version of Aston Martin's current team.

Perez said it would be good for Formula 1 if Alonso, as a two-time world champion, could fight for wins or podium finishes again soon. "That would be great news. They definitely have a strong car, they will definitely fight at the front," he suspected.

Max Verstappen told GPblog and others earlier on Thursday he was curious to see how competitive Aston Martin's 2023 car is. "I find it difficult to estimate exactly where they stand. When I look at Fernando's face when I talk to him, he is pretty optimistic though. That's kind of nice to see, because ultimately you want more teams to get closer together."