Very few people are inside F1 paddock they would dream of this Aston Martin He would build a car capable of allowing Fernando Alonso to challenge for the podium When it was announced that the Silverstone team had signed a contract with the two-time champion August 1, 2022. Now, just days after the Spaniard, who took to the box for the eighth time this season in Brazil to help Alain Prost reach a historic tally of 106 podiums, takes stock of his first year with Lawrence Stroll’s team. The UK edition of GQ published an interesting interview with the Spaniard, who reassured fans that he is not considering retirement.
“I would love to get my 33rd win, it was talked about a lot on social media, 33 is a number I see everywhere and I would like to get it too. I feel fresh, I feel fast and I enjoy driving with Aston Martin. I feel motivated. “It’s not time to retire yet,” says Fernando Alonso.
Regarding the first season at Aston Martin and the AMR23’s performance, especially in the first half of the season, Alonso said: “It was a pleasant surprise, we can’t lie.” We had some hopes with new names joining the team. They seemed to know what they were doing, but it was a long-term vision. “We thought we would be regularly competing in the top 10 in 2023 and maybe a podium or two would be possible,” he says.
“The idea was for us to be a regular contender for the podium in 2024. But this year we fought regularly for the top places in the first half of the season and it was a surprise, so I’m happy.” he states.
Alonso He sees his future in Aston Martin in the long term. He’s happy and his reaction to false rumors about a move to Red Bull reflects that. “These are just rumors, normal rumors from people in the paddock trying to make fun of the game and gain followers on social media. I don’t like this game. I don’t think it’s funny,” he insists.
He also expresses his departure from Alpine: “I have a lot of respect for Alpine. Renault gave me my two world championships, so it will always be in my heart, I will never wish anything bad on them. It is true every time you change teams, there is always something inside … You look at your lap times, your position and immediately you look at your old team, if they are behind you you always relax a little bit because you think, ‘I am.’ Ideally, ‘Aston Martin will win and Alpine will come second. “It would be best to fight for the podium,” he says.
In the World Championship, which has been decided in favor of Verstappen for weeks, GQ states that Alonso is one of the only names that makes the last period of the championship interesting, and underlines that Aston Martin is currently in fifth place, 21 points ahead of McLaren. “Success came very quickly. It’s never too soon, but it was a little unexpected. We have enough time for Lance (Stroll) to achieve good results and become champions in the future. To be honest, I think the tempo and scores do not reflect reality. There were a few times when Lance lost too many points. If we hadn’t had some bad luck, we could have been third in the rankings. This is the aim as we look forward; “There are two drivers who collect as many points as possible,” he warns.
Hamilton is an inspiration
In a British publication, Alonso is questioned by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, with whom he starred in a tumultuous season at McLaren in 2007. Over the years, relations have softened and both respect and admire each other: “We have different personalities and motivations. Hamilton has always been very good at staying focused and competitive during periods in his life when he didn’t have a competitive car. There weren’t many seasons but he always performed at a high level. He doesn’t have the best car anymore, Red Bull is dominant but he always continues to fight. He follows Sergio Pérez in second place and never gives up. Seeing how Lewis stays motivated after winning so many championships motivates us all“, reflects Fernando.