Fernando Alonso will join the Aston Martin team in 2023 and everyone knows the demand that the two-time world champion places on his teams. But the formation based in Silverstone already knows what it is to have a champion in their ranks.
Sebastian Vettel He was the closest rival of Fernando Alonso during the stage that both lived in Red Bull and Ferrari respectively. The Spanish pilot was left with honey on his lips on two occasions, while the German became four-time world champion.
That great rivalry has turned into respect over the years and, although neither of them has coincided in the same team, their paths have crossed in a certain way. Vettel was Alonso’s replacement at Ferrari when he left for McLaren and, now that Sebastian is retiring from Formula 1, Fernando will take over from him at Aston Martin.
Sebastian Vettel, a gentleman
And the truth is that the arrival of Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin has been possible, in part, thanks to Sebastian Vettel. Though unintentionally, surely.
“Sebastián is also someone who demands a lot. That is why the team is prepared for Alonso’s arrival.”
No, the German has not been part of the negotiations nor has he acted as an intermediary, but it has made it easier for Aston Martin to seize the opportunity to sign Fernando Alonso before he committed to Alpine for at least one more season.
“That was the moment it all started,” admits Fernando Alonso when referring to Sebastian Vettel’s decision to retire. “Aston Martin was waiting for his decision. They would have liked to stay with Sebastián for another year, but Seb decided to stop».
“They phoned a couple of drivers they were interested in. I was one of them. But if Sebastian had continued, that probably wouldn’t have happened.”reiterates the two-time Formula 1 world champion.
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“You look at the market, you talk to people and you know more or less what is happening,” Mike Krack expands when asked about the signing of Alonso. “There was no obligation to exchange ideas with many drivers. But Sebastian was the focus for us. It wasn’t until he said he was resigning that we started talking.”.
“It is one of our strengths, that we make decisions quickly,” reflects the director of Aston Martin. “This is a good example of how that can bring us advantages. But we also have to thank Sebastian. He was aware of the situation, we talked to him beforehand. That shows how open and transparent we were with him and how he was with us.”
“He knew that a situation like this could happen and I think that also influenced him to make a decision at the right time. He wanted us to get out of this situation well and he didn’t want to cause us any difficulties.”thanks the Luxembourg engineer.
Aston Martin, ready to receive Fernando Alonso
Sebastian Vettel has led to the arrival of Fernando Alonso, but has also prepared, in a certain way, the team to work with a driver as demanding as the Spanish.
“Vettel certainly raised the level of the team. Sebastián is also someone who demands a lot”, explains Mike Krack about it. “He’s not that loud, but he expresses a lot of wishes in briefings and outside of them as well. That is why the team is prepared for the arrival of Alonso. We will see how he will be compared to Sebastian ».
“I don’t know how to do it any other way. I have always enjoyed my job », says Sebastian Vettel, for his part. “I have always tried to be direct, open and honest. Aston Martin is a great team with a great spirit, I am happy to help as much as I can.”.
More ambition in Aston Martin than in Alpine
But what really pushed Fernando Alonso to accept the challenge from Aston Martin, a team fighting to avoid penultimate position in the constructors’ championship this year?
«It was because of the desire I saw on the part of Aston Martin to have me and, perhaps, those that were missing in Alpine. Or the signs of affection that perhaps I did not have»admits Fernando Alonso, who felt that the Anglo-French formation thought more about its star of the future than of the present.
This encouraged the Spanish to make things easier. “Alpine had Piastri, the young talent from the academy, and I was also going to a project that seemed more ambitious than Alpine’s”. Although in the end Alpine was left without both.
Font: Motorsport-total.com
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Photos: Aston Martin Racing