12/05/2023
NEWS STORY
Currently third in the standings, Fernando Alonso admits that he had serious misgivings about Aston Martin's potential before signing on the dotted line.
The Spaniard opted to leave Alpine last summer as part of the saga that saw McLaren poach Oscar Piastri from the French team in favour of Daniel Ricciardo.
Seeking a multi-year extension to his contract, Alonso was unhappy that the French team - with which, under its original guise, he had won his two titles - was dithering in terms of negotiating a new deal and even then only extending it for one year.
Though there was a vacancy at Aston Martin as Sebastian Vettel had announced his retirement, having slipped to 7th in the team standings Alonso wasn't overly convinced.
However, Lawrence Stroll managed to change that.
"I don't trust, you know, 100% everything that the teams tell you in August," Alonso told Sky Sports. "However, I think once Lawrence has a goal, he will get it.
"He will succeed eventually, you know," he continued. "It may take two, five or seven years, but he will get it.
"Flavio was quite keen on the Aston Martin project," he admitted, referring to his manager Flavio Briatore. "I think he saw the investment, he saw the vision of Lawrence, obviously he is a very important leader we have in the team.
"I think we've known each other for now twelve years. I liked his way of having no limits. I think Lawrence has a leadership that I think is quite contagious and everyone in the team is believing what he thinks. With a Formula 1 team, you need to have this kind of boss, one voice that sets the direction."
Of course, Alonso has baggage, yet while his on track determination and ability was never in doubt, the F1 paddock has been surprised by his teamwork this year, in particular his mentoring of teammate Lance Stroll. In Azerbaijan, the Spaniard shared mid-race brake balance advice with the youngster, while during the Miami event he congratulated him on an overtake which he had witnessed on a trackside screen.
"I like this team and also my role in the team," he said, "I'm aware of my role... that's perfectly fine, and I accept it.
"I'm at the end of my career. I expect Lance will lead the team for the next ten or fifteen years, and I want to help the team, and I want to help Lance as much as I can while I'm driving."