The Formula 1 world was shocked over the 2022 summer break when Fernando Alonso announced that he would be leaving high flying Alpine to join Aston Martin who finished in seventh place.
In their second season in Formula 1 Aston Martin continued to struggle following their rebrand of Racing Point, failing to beat Alfa Romeo in the constructors’ championship despite a late charge from Sebastian Vettel.
The team have been tipped as future podium contenders, as they appear to have the resources and staff to capitalise on their potential but are yet to do so, scoring only a single podium during their short stay in the sport.
Things could be looking up for Aston Martin however, as Fernando Alonso has claimed that he is very impressed with what he has seen from the team during his first few tests.
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The Spaniard has suggested that the talent of the staff at the team is some of the best he has ever come across and has boldly claimed that Aston Martin could be challenging for championships within a couple of years.
Upon joining the team, Alonso has been gifted a late Christmas present by his new employers, a DBX 707.
The luxury SUV is the pride of Aston Martin’s collection, boasting a four litre twin-turbo Mercedes V8 engine that can produce an impressive 700bhp.
“Expectations were exceeded. Dream car,” wrote the 41-year-old on Twitter, accompanied by a photograph of his new vehicle.
The latest addition to Alonso’s car collection comes in at an eye-watering $294,886, showing that the Spaniard has been more than treated with his welcome gift from his new team.
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The future looks exciting for Aston Martin as Alonso joins the team to partner Lance Stroll, with some pundits tipping the team to be dark horses for podiums next season as they look to capitalise on their potential.
With Alonso setting the bar high for Aston Martin some fans fear that he could become a problem should the team not live up to his expectations, however team principal Mike Krack has rubbished these claims of a potentially toxic atmosphere.
Krack believes that an open and honest dialogue with his new driver is the key to a strong working relationship, explaining to Alonso what is and what is not possible for the team to achieve on a regular basis.