Midway through last season the paddock was sent into overdrive, as Sebastian Vettel announced that the 2022 season would be last of his illustrious career.
Aston Martin were left looking for a replacement for 2023 and with the financial backing of Lawrence Stroll, the team targeted the very best in the form of Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard parted ways with Alpine despite being in contract talks with the French team and has been over the moon with his new team since arriving at Aston Martin.
Over the course of Bahrain’s three days of pre-season testing, Aston Martin looked phenomenally impressive, with many pundits predicting the team to finish third in this season’s championship, despite finishing as low as seventh last year.
READ: Max Verstappen handed boost as Red Bull to use ‘lightweight chassis’ in Bahrain GP
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has credited a lot of his team’s success to Alonso’s arrival, claiming that the Spaniard has been incredible since joining from Alpine.
“Well, if I can only say one word about Fernando, it’s ‘wow’,” said the Aston Martin boss.
“Honestly, it has been positive throughout in terms of feedback, in terms of how he is pushing us, how he is pushing himself, and also for the pace that he’s delivering. So we are very happy.”
Krack has been unwilling to compare Alonso to their previous driver Sebastian Vettel, with the two legends of the sport being important to the team in their own way.
“It’s very, very difficult to compare,” he said.
“Both a very, very fast drivers. Both have been world champions. But one is Latin, one is German. I think it’s difficult to really compare. Both have their own ways of communicating, both have their own ways of handling or dealing with the team.
READ: Lando Norris searching for silver lining ahead of 2023 Bahrain GP
“And I think it’s unfair to say one is better one is worse in these kinds of areas. They are both great champions.”
Even though Aston Martin’s pre-season has been phenomenal, Mike Krack has told his drivers not to start dreaming just yet, as pre-season results have to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Every team runs different testing plans during pre-season, meaning that it is impossible to know exactly how competitive a team will be until the season gets underway.