Fernando Alonso has said that Mercedes have proved that they 'will be a contender for everything, every weekend' as he weighed in on Aston Martin's battle with Lewis Hamilton's team.
Aston Martin has seen a startling improvement this year and Alonso has featured on six podiums in eight races so far this season.
Despite his impressive success rate, the Spaniard has not sat back on his heels as the team continues to battle Mercedes, whose drivers Hamilton and George Russell are also vying for podium spots.
Hamilton has appeared on the podium three times in 2023, while Russell joined the top three at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Alonso: Mercedes will be very strong
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Alonso admitted his worry about Mercedes climbing the ranks.
Asked if he was worried about what Mercedes can do, he responded: "Of course, of course, Mercedes is going to be very, very competitive. They are a very strong team. Very strong drivers.
"And they will be in the fight every weekend, for podiums, for race wins. They said, even, that they will bring some significant upgrades to the car and hopefully make some fight with Red Bull as well in the future.
"So I think Mercedes proves many times that they will be a contender for everything, every weekend."
Alonso said Aston Martin's target is to catch up with the dominant Red Bulls one day, but the Spaniard has one eye on Mercedes and Ferrari as they do so.
He said: "So obviously our target and our goal is to catch Red Bull eventually, one day, but in the process of doing that we know that Ferrari and Mercedes, they will be very strong."