Fernando Alonso begins a new chapter in 2023 with his fifth other team in Formula 1, with the relentless goal of becoming the star of the sport again – and potentially winning his third world title.

When he made the initially impulsive decision in July 2022 to leave the Alpine F1 in very good shape for the seemingly faltering Aston Martin F1, many heralded a wrong decision by the Spaniard. But the reality is very different, and below we will see why.

Can the Aston-Martin offer him a winning car?

Aston Martin F1 is undergoing a transformation from the small Silverstone team it was when it was called Jordan or Midland or Spyker or Force India and Racing Point, to a massive factory with new wings, a state-of-the-art wind tunnel and a state-of-the -Art simulator.

These alone are capable of turning AMF1 into one of the largest and richest in Formula 1. But “the best factory in F1,” according to Aston Martin F1 Director Mike Crack, won’t be fully ready until 2024, meaning the first car to emerge from it will be ready in 2025.

Whether Alonso can wait until then, or if Aston Martin keep him at 44 and build his championship future with him, nothing precludes it being able to offer him a competitive car for the next two years. The engine will not be a problem as the hiatus in power unit development ensures that the AMF1 will have exactly the same unit as the Mercedes F1.

The small Silverstone team starred as Racing Point in its final years – even winning a GP with Sergio Perez – and has since been supported by many top engineers and designers. First and foremost the new technical director Dan Fallows, longtime right hand of Adrian Newey at Red Bull Racing. And Alonso’s leading technical contribution will further improve the ability to build a competitive car.

Mike Crack insists Aston Martin F1 is different from other mid-sized teams with championship ambitions: “We take this challenge more seriously. Our ambitions are credible”said the 50-year-old from Luxembourg. “No one has made the investments to achieve something like this. There are teams that say they will win in three years or 100 games. But what are they doing to win?

With the factory, the wind tunnel and the new simulators, hiring a lot of very good people is going to be a huge investment behind us. That’s why the decision for Fernando was immediately clear. He already knew it – he has his contacts everywhere. We are reliable. We don’t just talk, we act. It remains that everything works together, but the dynamic of our program is absolutely real.”completed.

Can Fernando Alonso become champion again himself?

The only constant in world sport is racing age, and 41-year-old Alonso himself hasn’t denied it. His performance at Alpine last year, his physical and mental condition show that his ability to get the most out of the car remains unchanged. After all, a decade ago Michael Schumacher competed with claims up to the age of 44.

Crack said about it in the Spanish AS: “If everyone had identical cars, Fernando would be on the front row. They say he doesn’t have many years left f1, but I’m not sure if he agrees with that. When you have someone with that motivation, like we saw with Valentino Rossi, and the motivation is combined with dedication and physical and mental preparation and talent and experience, I don’t think time is running out.”

How competitive will it be Aston Martin AMR23 from 2023?

The Silverstone team’s prowess was evident last year when they completely changed the design philosophy of last year’s car at Barcelona in May and in the months that followed managed to make it competitive with Alpine, who finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship with Alonso.

But from 2022 you can only keep this ability for the team. Because, as Crack says, Alonso’s new AMR23 “it has absolutely nothing in common[withthe2022car”[μετομονοθέσιοτου2022»[mitdem2022erAuto”[μετομονοθέσιοτου2022»or as deputy technical director Eric Blandin (former head of aerodynamics at Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari) argues “It’s 95% different.”

Blandin in particular stated: “We applied what we learned from last year’s car to this year’s car. So much of it AMR23 it’s new, it’s a very different car than that AMR22. Over 95% of the wings are different, as are over 90% of the components.

As icing on the cake, we’ve also incorporated some smart innovations into the new car. It’s good to have them, but not necessary. It’s nice to cover a small window in the regulations and use it to your advantage, but it’s not often that you build an entire car on top of it. Instead, it’s important to get the foundation right and then add things.” the Brit continues.

The AMR23 was designed well before Alonso’s arrival at Silverstone but will no doubt benefit from his technical input. Thus, the team can reasonably hope to fight at the top of the mid-tier teams in 2023 and occasionally fight for a podium spot.

“Fernando’s observations are absolutely correct. She was very clear about what she wanted from the car and immediately identified certain themes that we were able to incorporate into her design. AMR23»added Blandin. “Last year Fernando drove a completely different car than ours and was more competitive. Drive you AMR22 He immediately managed to make the comparison and say, “That’s the best, that’s the worst, those are the areas we need to focus on.”

Fernando Alonso’s new car will be unveiled by Aston Martin on February 13th at the already completed part of the new Silverstone factory. Blandin promised that the team will show the real AMR23 and not a showroom prototype to hide its design until winter testing begins.

Can the Aston-Martin withstand the pressure from Alonso?

We know Fernando Alonso isn’t the most humble and condescending person alive, but neither is Lawrence Stroll, the Canadian tycoon owner of Aston Martin F1. And in addition, the son Lance Stroll will be standing in the adjacent garage – with whom Sebastian Vettel has had absolutely no problems in the last two years.

What seems to bother Alonso the most is a bad car that isn’t worthy of its dynamics. “I’ve only heard good things about him” said crack and chuckled lightly. “If you listen to the stories, fine, but I prefer to live by my own experiences and so far we’ve only had good relations. I don’t expect us to have any problems with Fernando as long as we give him a fast car and there is transparency.”

Crack ensured that transparency with Alonso from the start, keeping his promises to the Spaniard low: “Even when we signed Fernando we didn’t make any big statements. We never said we were going to win and we never said we were going to be world champions. We’re trying to make progress and we want to be at that level in two years, but we never said we’re going to win because we have Fernando.”

Can the Aston-Martin “follow” Alonso?

It has been said by a number of engineers, mainly from Ferrari, that when analyzing the race during a GP, Fernando Alonso’s intelligence even recognizes parameters that the team does not see in its data in the garage. Especially given his current experience.

These parameters lead the Spaniard to strategic decisions, some of which the team has not thoroughly analyzed. Can Aston Martin be up to this challenge? The answer likely lies in Peter Hall’s promotion to Team Strategy Director.

Hall worked in Red Bull’s simulator division before moving to Sauber/Alfa Romeo F1 in 2017 and was eventually hired by Racing Point in 2020. Until last year, he held a prominent position on the strategy team, but this year he was promoted to the role of director. Many F1 pundits credit Hall for the improved performance of Vettel and Stroll in the second half of 2022 – although it was a huge mistake at the last Abu Dhabi GP that cost the team sixth in the constructors’ standings.