Formula 1

F1 Breaking: Fernando Alonso Will Move To Aston Martin After Sebastian Vettel Retirement

Fernando Alonso, the two-time F1 champion, has confirmed that he will be moving from Alpine to the readily available seat in Aston Martin for a multi-year deal after Sebastian Vettel confirmed that he will be retiring at the end of this season.

The seat at Alpine now looks like it’s open to F1 newcomer Oscar Piastri who currently stands as Alpine’s reserve driver.

Following the Hungarian Grand Prix where Alonso was asked about his future in the sport, he admitted that he new his future would be taken care of when the sport returned from its Summer break. Now, it sounds as though things have moved much faster for the driver who is celebrating the move to Aston Martin under the control of Lawrence Stroll.

“This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to win, and it is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula One today,” Alonso said in a statement.

“I have known Lawrence and Lance for many years and it is very obvious that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula One.  I have watched as the team has systematically attracted great people with winning pedigrees, and I have become aware of the huge commitment to new facilities and resources at Silverstone.

“No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me. I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organisation that is committed to learn, develop and succeed.”

Awkwardly, within the last day, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer said things between the team and Alonso would be “very straightforward”, with him sure he’d stay with the team. Despite this, they’d been wanting to give Piastri a seat for a long time, and were looking at loaning him to Williams for the 2023 season.

With Alonso no longer in the running, however, Piastri will likely join Esteban Ocon for 2023. 

Alonso has been in the sport for a long time now, and at the age of 41, it’s expected that this deal may be one of his last before retirement. It’ll be of no surprise that he wants to go out in style, so is looking forward to seeing performance from Aston Martin that would put him at the top of the grid.

“The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport,” said Alonso.

“I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.”

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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