In black and with a wide smile. Thus began the new stage of Fernando Alonso in Formula 1, after saying goodbye to Alpine Course to Aston Martin. The Asturian, who this Sunday conceded his sixth retirement of the season after suffering a new reliability failure of the A522 in the GP of Abu Dhabi, he waited just three hours to move into the hospitality of his new team. And this Monday morning he has gone back to the circuit of Yas Marina to begin to get acquainted with who will be his mechanics and engineers and all the staff of the team. On this first day he has had the support of Pedro de la Rosanew ambassador of Aston Martinwho has met with his director Mike Crack, to begin to outline its functions.
Alonso He has dedicated his first hours in the box to take measures so that the car seat, the AMR22 from which he said goodbye Sebastian Vettel. “Starting a new project is always exciting,” confessed the Asturian driver, who will take to the track tomorrow Tuesday in the 2023 Pirelli tire test aboard the car. A test that Fernando considers “important, not so much in terms of performance, since the car will be very different next year, but in terms of comfort, steering wheel, buttons, seat and things that I would like to change. It’s great to have a first day to try everything”.
various novelties
The test will be divided into two rounds and Alonso, who for contractual reasons will not be able to wear green yet, will take part in the first (from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Spanish peninsular time). And after an hour of rest, his new companion Lance Stroll You will get into the car in the evening shift (from 12:00 to 15:00).
Alonso will not be the only rider to change teams in 2023 and, for example, the one in charge of replacing him at Alpine, the Frenchman Pierre Gasly, He has also been seen this Monday in the French team’s box and has gotten into the car dressed in a gray jumpsuit. This Tuesday there will be new faces in the test of Yas Marina. Nyck De Vries will premiere with Alpha Tauri, Oscar Piastri con McLaren y Logan Sargeant con Williams. The American has been confirmed today by the team of Grove after obtaining the Superlicence, thus closing the grid for 2023.
Once the tests are completed in Abu Dhabi, Alonso will travel to the factory Aston Martin in Silverstone (United Kingdom) to drive in the simulator, meet the people who work there on what will be their new project and visit facilities that are in full expansion phase, with the construction of a smart factory and wind tunnel. The team appreciates that Fernando can do more kilometers this winter, perhaps in a 2021 or earlier car, waiting for ‘filming day’ with the new 2023 car. The pre-season tests are scheduled from February 23 to 25 in Bahrain and by then the Asturian hopes to be fully integrated into the team.
