Ian Parkes
Saturday 31 December 2022 15:00
Fernando Alonso has been behind at a role with Aston Martin surpassing his racing career.
The Spaniard joins the British manufacturer ahead of the new F1 season as the replacement for Sebastian Vettel, partnering Lance Stroll in 2023.
The pair will hope to continue the push the team towards the top, although headline results are unlikely to be claimed whilst the infrastructural upgrades at the team’s Silverstone base remain incomplete.
Alonso returned to F1 in 2021 after a two-season sabbatical and remains determined to win another championship, claiming the last of his titles in 2006.
But the two-time winner has suggested he would be content with any part of a potential triumph.
READ MORE…Alonso backed to play Aston Martin role beyond F1 career
“Ultimately, I think winning the championship is what motivates me every day,” Alonso told select media, including GPFans, in an end-of-season interview.
“So I still think that the third will be possible one day. Maybe not next year, but who knows in the future?
“And now, with this project of Aston Martin, there are other things that are appealing to me which is to try to build a team, not from scratch because they are already a very settled team.
“But I think after this year especially, they are hoping for much better in the next few seasons.
“They have a lot of new people in the team, great talent, new facilities. So it seems that I’m joining at a moment where we can build something together and become world champions one day.
“I don’t know if I will be driving that year in the car, but if not, I hope I will be in the organization somehow and I can still feel proud of that championship.”
Additional reporting by Ewan Gale
Vacature: Online F1 editor (freelance, part- of fulltime)
