“I’m very demanding in everything that I do,” he said at the launch of Aston Martin’s new car, the AMR23, earlier this week. “I give my 100%, and expect the same of the people that I work with.”
It’s an obsession for the best that has fuelled frustration in the past and even caused relationships within teams to snap. Alonso was open last year in his belief he was performing at his best level since 2012, when he came so close to the title in a sub-par Ferrari, only for Alpine’s reliability struggles to cost him a sizeable haul of points.
PLUS: Is Alonso really getting back to his ‘2012’ F1 best?
It was therefore little surprise that Alonso heralded the reliability of the Aston Martin package, and particularly its Mercedes engine, during his test day in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season. His excitement about the direction of the team, enjoying significant waves of investment from owner Lawrence Stroll, has been clear ever since the bombshell move was announced on the first day of the summer break.
Although Alonso got a taste of what life would be like with Aston Martin in Abu Dhabi, it was not until 1 January that he could properly get up to work. But since then, he has thrown himself into everything the team has been doing as they bid to create, in the words of Stroll Sr, “one of the greatest Formula 1 teams that will be”.
Stroll’s commitment and the resulting culture of the team is something that Alonso feels aligns with his own demanding approach.
“Since the first day at Aston Martin, I felt exactly the same values from the people around me,” he said.
And Alonso claims to be getting happier by the day in his decision to jump ship, even if he rues that time is not on his side to enjoy the success they are working towards.
“We have the investment, we have the facilities, and we have the talent, so it’s just a matter of time,” he said. “Unfortunately, I’m not 20, but I will do my best to help the team.”
Alonso stresses that he grows increasingly content with his decision to join Aston by the day
Photo by: Aston Martin Racing
That help is exactly why Aston Martin want Alonso to be his unfiltered, honest self. This will be year three of Stroll’s five-year plan for Aston to become a front-running team, and it feels embracing Alonso’s demanding style is an effective way to grow stronger.
“I’ve found him to be very honest and transparent,” Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said of Alonso. “We…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Autosport.com – Formula 1 – Stories…