Fernando Alonso still has the desire to win races and become champion for the third time
Despite being 42 years old and having completed 20 seasons in F1, Fernando Alonso still has an appetite for victories and continues to believe in his future chances of winning a third world title, which he hasn't achieved since 2006.
20th season in F1, 378 races contested, current record, 103 podiums, including 32 victories and two world championship titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006. Despite turning 42 and taking a two-year break in 2019 and 2020, Fernando Alonso still wants to continue racing in F1. The Spanish driver wants to once again fight for victory and secure a third world crown.
Having come close to winning the title in 2007 with McLaren, and then in 2010 and 2012, Alonso did not enter the circle of triple world champions alongside Lauda, Brabham, Piquet, Senna, Stewart, and recently Verstappen. The “Bull of Asturias” has not won a single race since May 12, 2013, at the Spanish Grand Prix. In 2018, he left Formula 1 and turned to WEC, IndyCar, and the Dakar Rally, before returning in 2021 to the Alpine team (formerly Renault).
For his return to the category, Alonso climbs back onto the podium at the Qatar Grand Prix on November 21, 2021, seven years after his last podium, achieved with Ferrari. While his future in Formula 1 is uncertain for the 2023 season, Alpine wanting to offer Alonso a one-year contract, he announced during the season that he will be joining Aston Martin, replacing Sebastian Vettel, who had announced his retirement from F1 at the end of the 2022 season.
The Aston Martin chapter
Aston Martin, formerly known as Racing Point, aims to become world champion. To achieve this, Lawrence Stroll, the owner of the Aston Martin brand, is investing heavily in the construction of a brand new factory and wind tunnel, as well as recruiting quality engineers like Dan Fallows, the former head of aerodynamics at Red Bull. These investments have convinced the two-time world champion to join the British team. “I spoke with Lawrence Stroll about the possibility of joining the team after Sebastian Vettel’s retirement announcement, and he was very convincing in selling the project and all the new people who were joining us,” explained Fernando Alonso to the British edition of GQ magazine.
At the engineering office, there were big names that came from different teams. I saw a lot of talent. There was also a new factory being built and set up this year, so there was a big project behind this team, and it was happening, it wasn’t just words. The facts confirmed Lawrence’s words. I thought it was a logical decision for me if I wanted to aim for something higher than my previous team. It didn’t take long for us to join forces, Alonso continued.
