Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?

“The passion comes from excitement. When I get excited about something, I get very passionate. And when I get very passionate, I win.”

Standing in front of the new AMR23, the car covered by a Union Jack flag ahead of its official unveiling, team owner Lawrence Stroll again underlines his unwavering commitment to making Aston Martin a force in Formula 1. Since acquiring the old Force India operation in 2018, Stroll has made a number of big statement moves: rebranding as Aston Martin for 2021; signing four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari; committing to building a £200million factory, complete with a new, state-of-the-art wind tunnel.

But perhaps the biggest move to date came as a sudden shock announced on the first day of F1’s summer break last year: the arrival of Fernando Alonso for 2023 to replace the retiring Vettel.

Soon after Stroll’s car launch speech, Alonso and new team-mate Lance Stroll take to the stage and watch as the cover is whipped off, revealing the AMR23. It’s the car that will start the next chapter of Alonso’s career, and which he hopes can give him a final shot at glory.

Alonso is under no illusions that, at 41, he won’t be racing forever.

“I know it’s probably my last team to drive for,” he says. “Unfortunately, I’m not 20. But I will do my best to help the team.”

But why, after investing the past two years of his life into Alpine’s F1 programme and helping its rise to top the midfield, would he quit for a team that is building for the long term?

Alonso takes the seat at Aston formerly occupied by Vettel - the team improved considerably last year despite its gulf to Alpine in the constructors' standings

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

At the time Alonso’s move was announced, observers quickly pointed to the constructors’ championship where, after a disappointing start to the year, Aston Martin sat ninth out of 10, five places behind Alpine. Yet as the season wore on, and Aston Martin got around the early concept issues that blighted the first iteration of the AMR22, its form took a big upswing. By the end of 2022, it was capable of fighting Alpine and McLaren, and only missed out on sixth to Alfa Romeo on countback.

It was a recovery that gave Alonso encouragement. He said after his first day with the team in Abu Dhabi that it took him from being 90% happy with his decision to 100%; he then said the test itself made it “100-plus”, exalting the package’s reliability, a major source of frustration with Alpine. So, after spending a winter with the team, completing hours and hours of sim work – including four hours in the morning before the launch – how happy is Alonso now?

“Every day I’m happier,” he declares. “I’ve been coming to the factory regularly in January. There is a lot of teamwork at the moment and I love that. Between the drivers and all the departments, we’ve been following the windtunnel model for two months. Finally, today, we saw the real car.”

He can’t help but get in a dig at the teams who opted for show car unveilings.

"[Lawrence Stroll] had a lot of success in many different things and many different projects in his life. And I see there is no doubt that F1 will not be different. He will succeed sooner or later" Fernando Alonso

“I think the fans will appreciate as well that we launched the real car,” he pokes. “It is sometimes disappointing to see a show car with different stickers. This team is just more fair on everything.”

It’s a sign that Alonso’s political nous remains as sharp as ever. Now 22 years on from his F1 debut, he knows how to play the game, particularly through the media. But it’s also the trait that has seen bridges burned spectacularly in the past with his teams, particularly at McLaren and Ferrari. His approach is tenacious and all-encompassing. He’ll settle for nothing but the very best.

“I’m very demanding in everything that I do,” Alonso affirms. “I expect a lot from people that I work with. I give my 100% and expect the same from the people that I work with.”

It’s a mentality that may have led to frustration in the past, particularly through last year when he fumed at the points Alpine’s poor reliability had cost him. But he’s seeing the same kind of hunger reflected by Aston Martin.

Alonso's ambition is shared by team principal Krack and owner Stroll

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“Since the first day, I felt exactly the same values from the people around me,” he states. “We have the leadership of Lawrence. He had a lot of success in many different things and many different projects in his life. And I see there is no doubt that F1 will not be different. He will succeed sooner or later.”

The challenge of managing Alonso’s expectations and reaction when the going inevitably gets tough will lie chiefly with Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s team principal. He’s under no illusions that there may be a need for “difficult conversations” at times if things aren’t going well. But the approach Alonso is taking to their new project is one he agrees is essential to make the team a success.

“We are really happy with his demanding attitude,” says Krack. “It pushes us forward, and we are prepared to do the extra mile. It is the only way to move on up the grid. So from that point of view, all is very good so far.

“Obviously if the car is not what we want it to be, then there will be some difficult conversations. But we’ll have to be prepared to have them, because there is no hiding. I think you cannot hide also in front of Fernando Alonso. So we go with an open visor into the discussions: be honest, be open, be transparent, and I do not expect any issues.”

Other members of Aston Martin’s technical team have also been impressed by their first dealings with Alonso. Following his initial outing in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year, Alonso got another opportunity to acclimatise to his new team in a tyre test at Jerez earlier this month. Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough found him to be “very engaging and very focused” in every aspect.

“When he’s describing the car, when he’s describing the way he thinks a report should be written, a configuration on the steering wheel, there’s no wasted words,” he relates, adding that having Alonso is “like an extra, very experienced, good engineer” at his disposal. “It’s just focus, focus, this is what we should be doing, this is my idea.”

The relationship between Alonso and those working on the car is off to a good start, but the one most will focus on this year will be with Stroll across the garage. Alonso has a reputation for regularly being the ‘alpha’ driver within team-mate partnerships. Defeating Stoffel Vandoorne (now one of Aston Martin’s reserves) 21-0 in qualifying over 2018 was an achievement he was still touting years later. But the difference this time around is that his team-mate is the boss’s son.

They’re hardly strangers. Alonso first met Stroll when the Canadian was in Ferrari’s young driver academy, and has been in contact with the family for some time. After their clash in Austin last year, when his Alpine was sent airborne after Stroll’s late move, Alonso downplayed what was a pretty major incident. The cynical view would be that it’s a driver knowing what side their bread is buttered. But Alonso says he is relaxed about the new team-mate dynamic he faces.

Alonso downplayed his scary crash with Lance Stroll at COTA last year

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

“I have been here for long enough to know different things and to experience different team-mates, different personalities,” he insists. “I was thinking about Jacques Villeneuve when you were asking the question. That was an experience…”

Stroll, sitting next to Alonso, quips back to the journalist who asks the question that he’ll be getting a special spec front wing for the first race, sparking laughs through the room and a chuckle from Alonso. The pair seem relaxed.

“We have this wonderful opportunity to share the team,” adds Alonso, “to work together towards an Aston Martin hopefully in contention for championships in future.”

It’s an awareness that shows Alonso is grounded in what is really achievable with Aston Martin in the short term. While he thinks it a “possibility” that he could yet fight for a third world title, he knows this is still a midfield team waiting to get all of the pieces in place.

"You need the investment and you need the talent in F1. We have the investment, we have the facilities, and we have the talent, so it’s just a matter of time" Fernando Alonso

The aggressive approach taken to the design of the AMR23 is encouraging, with suggestions being that the numbers also point in a very promising direction. But he admits that this will not be a year to think about winning, accepting there may be some “difficult races” to start with as he adjusts to the team.

PLUS: How Aston Martin has been "aggressive" with its 2023 F1 car design

“I cannot say to anyone that we will be fighting for victories this year,” argues Alonso. “I will lie if I say that. But at the same time, we want to have a good car to start with, and to work and develop that car throughout the season. Maybe in the second part of the year we can get closer. If there is an opportunity that comes, we will not miss that opportunity.”

It’s a realism that Aston Martin also appreciates. This campaign will be year three of the five-year plan to get into contention at the front of the field. Quite whether Alonso will still be with the team then is unclear, but he has shown little sign of thinking about hanging up his helmet.

The McLaren doldrums sapped his enthusiasm prior to walking away at the end of 2018, but now he has an exciting new project to invigorate him. He also claims to feel “fitter than ever”, noting this is the first winter of his F1 comeback that has gone uninterrupted. A cycling accident in early 2021 ahead of his return with Alpine left him unable to train properly for three weeks, while he underwent surgery last winter to remove the plates and architecture needed after the crash from his face. 

“This was really the first winter that I could do a normal preparation,” he says.

Boosted by an uninterrupted winter of preparation, Alonso is in confident mood ahead of the 2023 campaign

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Alonso is far from the first high-profile signing to have been impressed by Aston Martin’s grand plan for F1 domination. Luring away the likes of Dan Fallows, a key part of Red Bull’s winning machine, and Mercedes aerodynamicist Eric Blandin was proof of the team’s appeal.

“There is something for sure going on in this team that makes things special,” reckons Alonso. “You need the investment and you need the talent in F1. We have the investment, we have the facilities, and we have the talent, so it’s just a matter of time.”

PLUS: How the F1 2023 competitive order is shaping up after Bahrain testing

Rediscovering that winning feeling will be long overdue for Alonso in F1. Nearly 10 years have passed since his most recent GP victory, on home soil in Spain with Ferrari in 2013, and he’s scored only one podium since leaving the Prancing Horse at the end of 2014. Just because he can’t expect to fight at the front in 2023 doesn’t mean that will be the case in 2024.

“I think we’ll have more possibilities to fight for wins and podiums next year if we have a good baseline this year,” predicts Alonso. “What we have this year will not be our normal position, I believe.”

The prospect of Alonso being back at the sharp end of F1 is tantalising, and something that has fuelled excitement among his fans. Over the winter, ‘33’ started trending in Spain thanks to Alonso’s passionate fanbase, making it their new goal: to add to the haul of 32 F1 wins. While he is appreciative of their enthusiasm, he is not making it his focus: “It was ‘El Plan’ [at Alpine] and the mission now is 33. To get the 33rd win will be amazing, but I’m not focused too much on that. That’s unstoppable on social media. I am happy for them to follow that.”

Aston Martin is quickly putting in the building blocks to become a team that drivers wanting to fight for wins and championships will be clamouring to join. As Stroll Sr said during the launch, his passion is what motivates him to go all in on projects, determined to make them a success. The old cliche about there being no short cuts in F1 applies, though; factories, wind tunnels and team assembly don’t happen in a heartbeat.

But that is why Alonso is going to be so key to the success of Aston Martin. He’s worked with the very best, known what it takes to get the most out of teams, win championships, and haul squads up the grid. His uncompromising style may not be to everyone’s taste – yes, there’ll be fireworks at some point – yet that is precisely what Aston Martin needs.

Alonso says it would be a “proud moment” for him to see Aston Martin one day dominating F1 like Red Bull or Mercedes, even if he’s no longer in the car. But with the momentum that is building, the commitment to making the team a success and Alonso’s own craving for glory, it would be little surprise to see his F1 career stretch a little longer so he can cash in on his final big move.

Alonso recognises that there will come a time when he has to step away from F1, and may not see the fruits of Aston's progress, but is fully at peace with that

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images