His signing for the French team came with the hope that they would throw away the memory of his two World Cups with Renault. It was an exciting stage, yes, the word illusion again, but this was the greatest incentive to see again Fernando Alonso blue dress Alpine. The previous years of the rhombus were a journey on the asphalt that promised, with the change of name, the signing of the Asturian and the new regulations, to come to light, but reality and unreliability have scrapped ‘The Plan’. Yes, the famous ‘Plan’ again, but the fact is that ‘The Plan’ and illusion were almost synonymous.
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The context. Two years are closed in which the reality of a complaining Alpine has been able to with the illusion of the Spanish.
- In these two years, the French team has not become a guarantee of anything other than mechanical problems, the Spanish, on the other hand, has once again shown that it is at the highest level: It was the key in the only victory for the team and his teammateachieved a podium and, mechanics aside, has consistently scored points to conquer fourth place in the manufacturers. Aston Martin appeared on his horizon with the illusion that a child’s dreams radiate, but will we fall again into the effusiveness of illusion?
What can we expect? The arrival of the Asturian brings with it factors that go beyond the talent of the two-time World Champion.
- Delusion. There is nothing more confirmed than the illusion, it is true, illusion does not live or win titles, but the enthusiasm with which the project begins Fernando Alonso you have to take it seriously. Rarely has the Asturian been seen so eager to start a new project. Talent and desire to work, although Ocon complains otherwise, he has plenty It may seem that the illusion is little, but the reality hides some exciting data.
- Money: Lawrence Stroll He is the owner of the team. According to Forbes magazine, he is among the 1000 richest men in the world and has spared no expense when investing. As if this were not enough, when the pocket of “dad Stroll” falters, there appear sponsors such as Aramco, or what is the same, the oil company of Saudi Arabia.
- Facilities: It said Bernie Ecclestone that the only way to get out of F1 with money was to come in with a lot more money. And in that there is no problem, the problem comes with how to use it and it seems that those in green know where to invest. Its new headquarters, built in Silverstone, is a clear example. The new factory has 37,000 square meters, three buildings that will house a simulator and a wind tunnel that is budgeted at more than 230 million euros. What I said, Money plus illusion.
- Transfers: The most obvious is that of Fernando Alonso, but his star overshadows those of other contracts in the technical aspect. Dan Fallowsformer head of aerodynamics at Red Bull, signed last year, as did Martin Whitmarsh, Alonso’s old acquaintance at McLaren, and, at the end of 2022, the head of aerodynamics from Mercedes arrives, Eric Blandin.
- Ambient: Fernando Alonso It is the icing on the cake of the British team. Everyone is waiting for him and the board and his partner Stroll are waiting for him to lead a project that in Alpine, with the relationship increasingly eroded with otmar szafnauer and with his partner Ocon, deteriorated by the least strange actions, it was almost unsustainable.
The other face. The arrival of Fernando Alonso Aston Martin entails enthusiasm, confidence, work… but it also hides some negative shadow:
- Work done. It is a reality that Alpine and his car have performed better than the British. Their evolution has been one of the most outstanding and they have managed to finish in fourth place in the manufacturers’ standings, something unthinkable at the beginning of 2022.
- reliability. His Achilles heel this year (more than Alonso’s than Ocon’s) cannot last forever. It took Honda eight years to come up with a champion engine, but they did it. The Renault engine also lacked reliability and performance, but less than the Japanese. To make matters worse, the reliability of Ocon’s car has not been so bad. Half the way is done.
- Competitiveness. It is a reality that the clashes, more and more constant between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, caused the relationship to fracture, but it is also true that one demanded the other to the maximum to increase the level of the team. Alonso will have more peace of mind, yes, but he won’t have a partner as strong as the Frenchman.
read between the lines. In the balance of the election there are points for and against, there is no doubt, or almost.
- The family is the family. The phrase is by Vitto Corleone (no introduction is necessary) but it hides an undeniable truth and Lawrence Strollmillionaire and owner of Aston Martin is also the father of good Lance (of last name Strollso we don’t forget). To what extent will the son endure the Spanish hierarchy? Or, even worse, to what extent will the father be willing to admit the friction, typical and inevitable between classmates, between Alonso and his son?
The doubt is not small and, it is true, also some negative shadows that overshadow the start of the next F1 course, but there is an unquestionable certainty, F1 in this 2023, with the union between Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin brings illusion.