Fernando Alonso accepted to drive for Aston Martin in 2023, but only a year later, when he rejected them to replace Sebastian Vettel.
The F1 community was shocked when Aston Martin announced Fernando Alonso would join them in 2023. Hence, replacing the retirement-bound Sebastian Vettel.
Out of all the probable candidates to replace the four-time world champion, Alonso never crossed the mind of any outlet. Thus, this move seemed to be quite shocking.
Anyway, this is not the first time when Aston Martin approached Alonso. A report by AMuS in 2021 claims that F1 team boss Lawrence Stroll wanted Alonso to replace Vettel in 2022.
However, the Spaniard at that time rejected the offer. Maybe he had a sense of security with the French team back then. But now, with Alpine’s desperation to give Oscar Piastri an F1 break, Alonso seemed to be an easier scapegoat compared to younger Esteban Ocon.
Also read: The luxurious life of Daniel Ricciardo at Alpine (Renault)
Making sense out of Fernando Alonso going to Aston Martin
Alonso’s move to Aston martin is definitely not a step up in his career. Instead, it can even be called a step down, considering how little the Silverstone-based team delivered on their promises in the last couple of years.
With Alonso himself not seeing his career expanding for more than a couple of years in F1. It doesn’t seem wise for the Spaniard to move to a team with still a lot to do to gain prominence.
There is no doubt Alonso is still a terrific performer at this age. But his resources don’t make sense for him to continue at a midtable team after such an illustrious career.
Alonso had a two-decade-long experience in F1, and he doesn’t need to vie for a seat like a 25-year-old driver. So, this move surely doesn’t make sense for Alonso, unlike Alpine, where in 2021, it looked like he is there to do what Michael Schumacher did for Mercedes.
Also read: Martin Brundle explains why Lewis Hamilton resembles 41-time race winner
