Alonso satisfied with his first laps in the Aston Martin
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix rounded off a complicated season for Alonso, in which he retired 6 times. After 2 seasons with Alpine, the Spanish driver made his debut with Aston Martin. He was able to drive his new single-seater during testing, and after 97 laps was very satisfied.
Fernand Alonso surprised the Formula 1 world by announcing that he was leaving Alpine to join Aston Martin from 2023. The French team was occupying the 4th place in the constructor’s championship and the pace of the A522 was impressive. Meanwhile, Aston Martin was in 7th place in the championship and struggling to score points every weekend.
A meteoric rise for Aston Martin
However, the second half of the season reveals a promising project for the 2005 and 2006 world champion. Indeed, Aston Martin has returned to competing with the top midfield teams in recent races and has been involved in the battle between Alpine and McLaren. The team finished in 7th place in the constructors’ championship, tied with Alfa Romeo. Fernando Alonso is highly committed to this new project that awaits him, and he is even more motivated after his first laps in Abu Dhabi.
When I signed for Aston Martin, I was 90% happy. When they started improving and finishing the season in style, I was 100% happy. This morning, I was at 100% and now I am above 100%.
An adjustment phase
The Spanish driver must first get to know his new team, the new procedures, and his new car… He even drove at a slower pace during this first session to familiarize himself with his new equipment, which is quite different from the Alpine he drove this season.
« We did 97 laps in one morning, so it was quite extreme. But we will gather and I will go through everything I felt. There are small things, and most of them concern comfort, it’s not really a question of balance or car behavior. I don’t know, the tone for gear changes, the pit lane, the messages on the dashboard, that kind of thing… we are used to a certain setup and now we need to try to adapt in a more natural way. The immediate priority probably concerns these things.
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The variations in the perceived direction
Alonso reproached Alpine for taking time to provide him with a proper solution regarding his feeling of the steering, that is, how the wheel turns and how the car reacts.
« When I was at Alpine, it took us 5 months to find a steering setting that matched my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised here because I don’t have that feedback.
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Alonso is indeed managing to adapt well to his new ride and team. We will now meet again at the end of February to see the Spaniard driving the Aston Martin as a prelude to the 2023 F1 season.
