1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill is hopeful that Fernando Alonso has become a “changed man” following his switch to Aston Martin, with the two-time World Champion having “lost a lot of friends” at his previous teams.
Alonso has certainly taken an incredibly positive mindset to Aston Martin following his switch from Alpine, a side he often criticised publicly once his move to the Silverstone-based team was announced.
The Spaniard has constantly praised Aston Martin’s work ethic and determination since the start of the season, with it almost appearing to be a match made in heaven.
As things stand, his positive and bubbly approach to the team is working a treat, with Alonso having claimed four podiums from the opening five races.
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He’s taken Aston Martin towards the front of the field, with the former midfield-team having been second in the pecking order for the vast majority of the year so far.
Aston Martin have comfortably beaten Ferrari and Mercedes so far this season, resulting in them being second in the Constructors’ Championship.
Alonso’s positive energy was very much on show during the Miami Grand Prix, where he praised team-mate Lance Stroll over the radio after seeing the Canadian pull-off a strong overtake.
Alonso was able to watch the overtake on TV, with him having been running in a lonely third.
His behaviour is certainly the complete opposite of what it was like at McLaren and at Alpine, where he was often quick to criticise his team.
Alonso famously labelled Honda’s power unit as like a “GP2 engine” whilst racing for McLaren, with the 41-year-old having also caused issues at Ferrari.
As a result, Hill revealed that Alonso “lost a lot of friends”.
“He overplayed his hand at McLaren, and then he did something similar at Ferrari. He insulted Honda because he called it a GP2 engine, he lost a lot of friends,” said Hill on the F1Nation podcast.
He certainly hasn’t lost any friends yet this season, with him presumably gaining them with his positive approach.
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Hill believes Alonso has perhaps “matured” since making the move to the British team, or he’s just making sure to behave appropriately.
“He’s on his best behaviour, or maybe he’s a changed man,” added Hill.
“I like to think it’s the latter, I think he has changed, matured and became a massive asset to the sport.”