Fernando Alonso is likely counting the days until 2023, with 1 January representing the Spaniard’s first day as an official Aston Martin driver.
Whilst he did drive for the Silverstone-based team in the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit, he was still under contract with Alpine, hence why he drove a car and wore a racing suit without sponsors.
The double World Champion was immediately impressed with the AMR22 and was equally amazed at the mileage it’d completed without any issues, something he couldn’t say the same for Alpine.
Alonso suffered six retirements in 2022, with Alpine’s reliability having been absolutely woeful.
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The Enstone-based team did prioritise performance over reliability, something that the 41-year-old predicts lost him 60 points in the Drivers’ Championship.
However, despite his ridiculous number of retirements, he did show on several occasions that he remains blisteringly quick, with his age clearly “not a problem”.
Moving to Aston Martin is a fascinating switch for the Spaniard, who is still eager to claim a third title, something that will be a serious challenge with the British side.
Given how much money the team are ploughing into new facilities, though, the famous company might find themselves closer to the front than most may predict.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who worked with Alonso whilst Ferrari team principal, has spoken about how “important” it is for the sport for the outgoing Alpine driver to stay in the series, something he’s set to do for three more years.
Domenicali hailed his former driver as “super motivated” and someone who is “ahead” when given a strong car.
“You can talk about everything,” Domenicali told Marca.
“I think the important thing for me is that Fernando stays in F1. He is super motivated.
“Also, this year he has shown that age is not a problem. He is a very competitive driver, very strong in the head, very professional.
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“It is also a pleasure for me to see that in Spain, F1 has become important again with Carlos, with Fernando.
“Fernando doesn’t surprise me at all, because Fernando has the sport of Formula 1 in his blood. He manages to have a continuous motivation.
“Even when he left F1 he was already thinking about coming back. Now, obviously, he deserves the place he has, and I wish he has a competitive car because with a competitive car, Fernando is ahead.”