“Alonso continued because he believed in the Aston Martin project”

Pedro de la Rosa (2/24/1971, Barcelona), present Ambassador of Aston Martin, helped MD with the hospitality of the British team at Imola. Sipping matcha tea after hours of interviews and relentless work, the Catalan wanted to detail where the joint project of Alonso and Aston Martin stands.

What should the Spanish fans say after the 2023 podium now that the team is further down in 2024?

I tell them this is F1 and we are fighting against very strong teams. And that we are on an upward line. We started weaker than we started last year, but pretty weak. If we compare ourselves to Red Bull, I think we are better than last year. At shorter distances. The problem is that there is a very strong Ferrari and there is a McLaren, above all, which finished very strong last year and is there.

But more important than that is that we are on a very good line of development in the factory. The team is working very well. We have a very young team. We already have an established factory. We have a wind tunnel coming up, which will start operating at the end of this year (2024). In other words, the elements are positive. That is, we don’t need to have historical emergencies because things are being done so well.

Last year, the results could also be a bit misleading, as Aston Martin started very well, but it also helped that Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren started very far away.

Yes, so I think we have to be realistic. We are working and things are gradual in Formula One, they don’t happen overnight. We are laying the foundations to have a very strong team.

Isn’t there such nega within the team that there might be outside in a fan who now sees Alonso far from the podium?

nothing. Not really. That doesn’t mean we don’t want more within the team. In other words, no one confuses non-negativism with conformism. No, we are not conformists. What happens is that we have confidence in what we are doing that will take us higher. That’s the reality.

He talks about the factory. Can we say that the new headquarters is running fully greased and at its peak performance?

Yes, but well, until we have a wind tunnel, the most important piece is missing. But not only that, the simulator is also missing, which is also coming. They have been working on the wind tunnel for two years and by the end of 2024, this year, it will be the most important tool. And the new simulator, which will arrive throughout 2025. In short, a lot of work has been done and the new factory is operating, we must remember that we launched it in May and June of last year. It’s still a bit early. And during that time many people were working from construction booths while the factory was being finished. That is, the effort is titanic and we are in a more advantageous situation than last year.

Are all the steps being taken to make the team a winner in the future?

Yes, they are fulfilled. We always say it’s a journey of five years or more. We are in the third or fourth year. But we still have the most important thing left, to finish the wind tunnel and the simulator to have all the tools.

Lawrence Stroll (team owner) always says that to win in Formula One you need three very important things: people, above all, and to be honest, we have them. Then you need the processes. What I think our team still doesn’t have are all the tools to be able to fight to win, mainly the introduction of the wind tunnel.

It represents that for the 2026 car those factors are already there.

Yes. And also part of the evolution of twenty-five.

Do you understand that there are people who want to see Fernando at Red Bull in 2025 or do you understand more that Fernando wants to stay?

Let’s see, I understand that Fernando’s fans want to see him in the fastest car. Here at Imola they want to see him in a car that wins races. But it’s a journey, it’s a journey. I think the fact that Fernando did not wait for any team, that he decided to continue with us, is the guarantee that he really believes in the project. If Fernando didn’t believe in the project, he waited for the drivers’ market. He was the first driver who in mid-April said: ‘I want to stay’. And we are glad. But that is the best guarantee that one of the three best drivers in F1 wants to continue with the team because the project convinced him. And I think that is very important for all the people working in the team.

Did you know that movies usually have a happy ending? It goes through bumps… where are we in that movie and how will this end?

I don’t know where we are, because with Fernando you can’t tell. I always thought that Fernando would retire this year.

Really?

But this is a personal feeling of mine. But I was surprised again. And the fact that he wants to continue for two more years and whatever comes, because he really is at a spectacular level, well, I love it. I personally thought he wouldn’t want to extend his career due to personal issues… well, I wish he wanted to do it with us.

The happy ending… at the end of the road can be reached by walking. To have a happy ending in this movie we have to work hard. But I’m not here for a happy ending. If not, I will not return to F1, although there is an ambassador role. And I don’t think Fernando either. And if you ask anyone on the team, they wouldn’t be here if they didn’t believe in the team.

It gives the feeling that within the team they are in the process and they are sure they will win one day.

No, not insurance. We are confident that we are doing the most for it. No one can be sure of winning in Formula One. It’s too hard to trust you. The only thing we do is put in the necessary ingredients to win. Will they be enough? Only the competition will tell us.

But it is true that if someone had said in 2005 that Red Bull would win in 2010, we would have said no. The same thing happened with Mercedes. Now, it can happen at Aston Martin.

This remains to be seen. But what a great situation, what a great stage, when you build something with confidence…

It’s rare to see someone in the world of motorsport like Alonso who decides to opt for a more long-term project, because they usually want to win now, now.

But Fernando is a total career. And I think the first thing that convinced him was the ambition of the team. And secondly, that he enjoys this team, working with this team, because you can see him enjoying any training session and that’s something very nice.

How do you see Alonso when you talk to him?

As always, he is the same Fernando from 2007. Absolutely nothing has changed compared to the Fernando I saw at McLaren: demanding, passionate, dedicated. Both. In the same hunger. Age has not diminished his passion. I think that’s the big surprise I’ve had, that he’s still the same and still loves the engine at full speed. So, Fernando, you know that he will always continue his sports career in Formula One or in any other competition because it is what he loves the most. And as long as he’s competitive, it’s clear he’ll continue, clearly clear.

Are you surprised to see him like this?

Yes, I am surprised that he continues this desire with this desire, which can only be explained because he has a strong passion for what he does. And Fernando does not continue. He continued because he had passion and speed above all else.

Any anecdotes about Fernando working in the factory, cheering on the team? I know one day he did it by chatting on the stairs of the top floor of the new factory.

I believe that Fernando is not a person who hits the table. It’s more about consistency. When you commit to doing something, you do it one hundred percent. He is very disciplined. Whatever he does: go out on the track, publicity events, anything, he’ll do it. I think what impressed us the most was that. It’s like I’ve never seen him late for a meeting. Always prompt, always ready. And he doesn’t complain. He may still have an injury that he is hiding from you. He never reveals any weakness. He was a very special man. Special. And I think, if there is one thing that characterizes Fernando, it is that he is not an actor. When he says something, he says it because he feels it.

And he’s probably more comfortable with this team even if it’s not winning than any other team he’s won with.

I think you feel comfortable in a team because you see the team’s potential first. Because the work environment at Aston Martin is incredible. There is a good atmosphere. And secondly, because the ambition exists and so does the method. So, I think the confidence that things are being done well is what convinces us all.

Because if someone is angry with Fernando, it’s seeing that he gives everything and others don’t.

Yes, it is very demanding. When it’s comfortable it’s because we’re all aligned.

A message for Spanish fans. What should I tell him?

Let them go to Barcelona! At the Spanish Grand Prix, it’s all over!

You have to drive an Aston Martin in the Paseo de Gracia road show.

(Laughs) Man, I love that! It would be a dream come true. I think last year we all left the Spanish GP very sad because it was a Grand Prix that we were really looking forward to within the team and we didn’t give the fans what they deserved. This year we are going to give it all with the improvements that will come, because no one should think that we brought our latest cartridge to Imola here. In other words, we will bring improvements throughout the season.

The example to follow is McLaren. Can you take that leap?

What happened is that last year McLaren said something that I don’t think we will see this year, that is, from one race to another they struggled to get into Q3 until they almost won. These jumps in F1 are very difficult.

But they have done it. Can’t Aston Martin do the same?

Yes, but our goal is not to continue development because we already have a fairly competitive car in many areas. That means we still have a lot to do. It’s not about clicking a click and suddenly… those things are rarely seen in Formula One.