Fernando Alonso announced that he would leave Alpine midway into the 2022 F1 season. He moves to Aston Martin as Sebastian Vettel’s replacement, and his move came at a very bad time for the Enstone-based team. They immediately announced Oscar Piastri as his replacement, but a huge saga unfolded where Piastri ended up going to McLaren.
It took Alpine some time to find a suitable driver for 2023 and in the end, they went for Pierre Gasly. Alonso, however, left on bad terms with team principal Otmar Szafnauer and people felt that his ties with the outfit would temporarily be cut. However, their academy prodigy Nikola Tsolov recently revealed that Alonso is still helping him realize his dream of competing in F1.
NEWS: @AstonMartinF1 announces Fernando Alonso for 2023.
We are delighted to confirm that two-time #F1 World Champion @alo_oficial will join the team from next season on a multi-year contract.
Tap below to read more. ⬇️#WeClimbTogether
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) August 1, 2022
Earlier this year, Alonso started his own A14 management with Tsolov and Clement Novalak as the drivers. The former ended up winning the Spanish F4 Championship and is considered a huge talent with the potential to make it to F1. He has also earned a seat in F3 for 2023, with ART Grand Prix.
Also read: Fernando Alonso and Colton Herta is perfect F1 lineup of Former F1 champion
Fernando Alonso believes Tsolov will make it to F1
The dream of every young driver in the junior formula series is to make it into F1 someday. Tsolov too aims to reach the pinnacle of motorsports in the coming years, and Alonso is doing everything possible to help the 16-year-old realize his dream.
The Bulgarian driver appeared for an interview for a local TV channel where he was asked if Alonso believes in his F1 dream. Tsolov replied by stating that not only did Alonso believe in him, but he was also helping him.
Interwiever: Did Fernando Alonso told you you are going to enter F1 in the future?
Nikola Tsolov: Yes, this is my aim and Fernando is helping me a lot pic.twitter.com/HTEzNoregP— Aston Martin F1 updates (@startonpole) December 30, 2022
“Did Fernando Alonso tell you you are going to enter F1 in the future?” the reporter asked. “Yes, this is my aim and Fernando is helping me a lot,” he replied.
Alonso will help the Alpine academy driver despite leaving the team. In 2023, he will partner with Lance Stroll at Aston Martin, with whom he signed a multi-year deal. In spite of being 41 years old, the 2-time World Champion is showing no signs of slowing down, as he aims to fight for wins and Titles once again in his career.
