The Asturian completed more than three times the number of laps with his new team than on Sunday in his last race with Alpine: 97
Fernando Alonso’s jaw hurts after hours spent with a smile that can’t be removed from his face. In recent times, the Asturian has rarely been seen with such enthusiasm, especially as what he has found has given him great hope.
Not only because starting on a new team is a blow to morale, but also because of how the day goes. Alonso arrived first at the Aston Martin box, dressed in a discreet black jumpsuit without any sponsor due to contractual issues (Alpine have ‘loaned’ him in these tests, as he has a contract until December 31), and immediately nestled behind the handlebar of the AMR22, which also went without a sticker. Accompanied by Pedro de la Rosa, who was also ambassador for the first time, Alonso started his work as official driver of the Silverstone team with very good feelings.
And it is that the data is clearly positive: he gave 97 rounds. This is three times the number he added in his farewell to Alpine on Sunday, when an alleged water leak sent him to the box to pack his bags in advance. The feeling that this started much better was confirmed in the test.
Apart from the times achieved (he marked third of the morning session), which are clearly worthless, the best thing for Alonso and for Aston Martin is that they finished with much better performance than the driver expected. “When they told me the mileage of the bike last night I was concerned because I thought that number was a bit high for my standards, but we’ve done 97 laps with no problems so it’s excellent without a doubt,” the analysis analyzed Spaniard. after leaving his morning work in the hands of his new partner (and son of the boss), Lance Stroll.
In addition to qualifying as “an honor” to compete with a brand of Aston Martin’s substance, Alonso stressed that it is a very good way to start what will likely be “the last” project of his career. What he saw on the track and in the garage gave him such good feelings that he seemed very motivated. “Now I’m much more optimistic,” he confessed. “When I signed for Aston Martin I was 90% happy, when they started to improve and finished the season on a high I was 100% happy. This morning I was 100%, and now I am even more,” he smiled.
The goal of this first day was simply adaptation. In fact, Alonso was far from fast, as he was three-tenths behind the weekend’s best time. However, he believes that his adjustment is already well advanced. “We will have to see the new cars in Bahrain and make a direct comparison. For me it’s more about getting used to the team and the new car, hard work this winter, many hours in the simulator, all the steering wheel controls, the procedures are very different from what I’m used to.” He was even able to adjust a few things to the car’s set-up, so the data and feedback from Stroll in the afternoon was also important in preparation for 2023.
Alonso felt a little nostalgic as he entered the penalty area. And it is that 20 years ago, at Silverstone, the Asturian also came in to do a test with a green team, on that occasion Jaguar. So he was a promising youngster who aimed very high, and the starting driver was Pedro de la Rosa. “Pedro and I went into the garage together and there was a green car, like the Jaguar in England 20 years ago. I had to laugh a bit,” he recalls. Some time later, what is now Red Bull emerged from that Jaguar.
The feelings of the first day at Aston Martin were clearly positive, but a lot is going to change. “Everything is different: the seating position, the steering functions, the power steering, the radio, the processes in the equipment, little things like the warning tone when you have to change gear. There are countless things that need to be arranged, but we were able to do a lot and lay a good foundation,” he said. Even the chair, because it is very different from what I expected. “I need another (chair), because my left side hurts. I was also worried about the direction. When I got to Alpine, it took me five months to better adapt to the direction, but the starting point is better, “he was satisfied.
Alonso will not drive the Aston Martin again until it debuts in testing in 2023, but he will need to keep working 100% this holiday. Simulator days, learning new protocols, adapting to a new work philosophy. A winter is coming in which we have a lot to learn.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
