2023 is set to be an exciting year for Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso replacing Sebastian Vettel and with former Red Bull employee Dan Fallows set to have a leading role in next season’s design.
This season has been one to forget for the Silverstone-based team, who currently occupy ninth in the Constructors’ Championship.
They’ll be hoping that the addition of Alonso will boost their chances next year to return to the middle of the table, something they drastically need.
The 41-year-old will be bringing a wealth of experience with him, as he sets his sights on reaching 400 GP starts before he retires.
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Giving the double World Champion a two-year deal with the option of a third season shows how highly the team regard Alonso, with team principal Mike Krack admitting that the current Alpine driver is the “perfect candidate”.
Next season will be the Spanish driver’s 20th in Formula 1; however, he has shown no sign of slowing down.
There is no doubt that Alonso will push the British team to their limits, as he’ll set his sights on achieving the very best.
Krack recently told the BBC why they’ve gone for the oldest driver on the grid, rather than a young driver like F2 World Champion Felipe Drugovich, who they’ve signed as their 2023 reserve driver.
“Normally, drivers with this experience, they do not have this desire to win,” Krack told the BBC.
“Normally, this desire goes down, especially if they have won already.
“Fernando has this unique combination of speed, hunger, motivation and experience. For us, it makes the perfect candidate.
“The downside could be that if the car we deliver is just not good enough, then we know it gets difficult. But it gets difficult with every driver if the car is not fast enough.”
Krack explained how “difficult” former champions can be to “manage”; however, the 50-year-old recognises that having someone with the amount of experience Alonso has is vital to making the “next step” as a team.
“We think having someone like Fernando is really, really important to make the next step as a team,” he continued.
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“You need to learn to manage champions, which we already did with Sebastian.
“Because these drivers are very demanding, they are quite difficult to manage. I would not even say Sebastian is that difficult to manage if you are transparent, honest and straight. And I think the same goes for Fernando.
“Difficulties arise when expectation does not match deliverables, or when it’s not outspoken. He knows very well when he comes here that we will probably not win the first race together.”