Double World Champion Fernando Alonso is seemingly very excited about the upcoming season, as the Spaniard prepares for his new life with Aston Martin.
The veteran has switched from Alpine to the Silverstone-based team for 2023 to replace Sebastian Vettel, who brought his 15-year career to an end at the close of last season.
Whilst Alonso has made the move to replace Vettel, he’s also made the switch after being impressed by “how motivated everyone is” at the British team, with the Spaniard having fallen out somewhat with Alpine.
According to reports, Alpine weren’t prepared to meet Alonso’s demands, whereas Aston Martin have exceeded them.
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Alonso’s move to Aston Martin will see the Spanish driver compete for the team for at least two seasons, with there being an option in his deal for a third year with the side.
The 2005 and 2006 World Champion is currently intent on doing just that, meaning he’ll compete in the sport until the end of 2025, by at which point he’ll be 44.
Aston Martin and Alonso are a duo that appear will get on incredibly well, with the experienced driver having been very impressed with the team after the 2022 post-season test in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking after his first day of testing the team’s 2022 car last year at the Yas Marina Circuit, Alonso admitted that the team will “need to work hard” to be ready for 2023; however, he was amazed by the ‘energy” the team displayed.
“We need to work hard this winter, including a lot of hours in the simulator, learning all the steering wheel controls and procedures – they are very different compared to what I’m used to,” Alonso said, per Formula1.com.
“I have to practice them until they become automatic, in my head, in my fingers, so I arrive [for the opening round of the season] in Bahrain at 100%.
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“Next year’s car will be very different compared to this one, so any feedback that you get from this one is not really relevant for when we drive the AMR23.
“But I saw some different philosophies around setting up the car, developing the car, as well as managing the power unit. There are many things that you get initial feedback from; we will have to sit down and try to get the best out of everything.
“You can feel the energy in the team and how motivated everyone is. I can’t wait for next year. I felt a very special atmosphere in the garage.”