Fernando Alonso will be hoping for a clean end to his two-year stint at Alpine, following a year full of promise which arguably never came to fruition, as a result of countless reliability issues for the Spaniard.
There is no doubt that Alpine have the fourth best package on the grid and have even managed to compete with Mercedes at certain events; however, the Enstone-based side have allowed themselves to be drawn into a duel for P4 with McLaren following endless issues.
Alonso has endured and seen many things in his Formula career, given that he made his first appearance back in 2001, but nothing, not even the shockingly bad 2015 McLaren could’ve prepared him for 2022.
The 41-year-old has been ridiculed by bad luck this season, with the Spanish driver having retired from five races this season, typically due to power unit failures.
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These failures have then seen Alonso endure grid penalties at other events, which has then reduced his chances of a points finish.
Due to all the issues he’s faced this season, the Alpine driver believes he’s lost over 60 points, an amount that would see the French side well clear of McLaren in the Constructors’ standings.
It does appear that his move to Aston Martin next season can’t come soon enough, with the Spaniard having tipped himself to be “extremely lucky” in 2023.
“I think, after 2022, I will be extremely lucky next year,” Alonso said to El Mundo Deportivo newspaper at Interlagos.
Alonso’s move to Aston Martin is as a result of four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel retiring, with Alonso signing on a two-year deal with the option for a third.
He’s clearly very excited about the switch due to hailing the British racing green side as “more ambitious” than Alpine, with the target from the get-go being to “try to fight for the world championship in 2023 and 2024”.
“100 percent,” Alonso replied, if the Silverstone-based side can leap to the top that quickly.
“Aston Martin is not here to finish fifth, sixth or fourth in the constructors’ championship.
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“They are here to win the world championship and that is what we will try to do in 2023 and 2024.”
Given that Aston Martin are currently seventh in the Constructors’ Championship it does appear incredibly unlikely that they’ll be a leading side next season; however, there is certainly no reason why they can’t challenge the top four.
Especially given Alonso’s remarkable experience and the side having a car worked on by former Red Bull head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows, a combination that should elevate the side.