Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso will replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin for the 2023 Formula 1 season on a “multi-year” contract.
Alonso will leave Alpine after a two-year stint with the team, paving the way for Australian Oscar Piastri to join the grid for 2023, although that has yet to be confirmed.
“This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to winning and is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula 1 today,” Alonso said of his move.
“I have met Lawrence [Stroll] and Lance [Stroll] for many years and it is very clear that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula 1.
“I have seen how the team has systematically attracted great people with winning pedigrees, and I have become aware of the huge commitment to the new facilities and resources at Silverstone.
“No one in Formula 1 today is showing 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 top, and I want to be part of an organization that is committed to learning, developing and succeeding.
“We all appreciate that there is a lot to do to get to the top and that we must apply all our energies to work together to find performance.
“The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convinces me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to sport.
“I intend to win again in this sport, so I have to take the opportunities that are right for me.”
Alonso rejoined the operation now known as Alpine at the start of last season, having driven there twice previously.
It was with the squad, then known as Renault, that they won their two world championships in 2005 and 2006.
With his contract at the end of the current season, Alonso was expected to renew for at least another year, with chief executive Laurent Rossi bringing him into the company’s World Endurance Championship plans.
His presence in the team was an obstacle for Oscar Piastri, last year’s Formula 2 champion who this year works as the team’s reserve driver.
It was thought he would be loaned to Williams for the duration of Alonso’s upcoming contract, a move that is now unnecessary.
Alonso’s switch is therefore confirmation that the Australian will accompany Esteban Ocon to the Anglo-French team next season.
It also solves much of the remaining driver market, with Piastri linked to McLaren, although this suggestion was always fanciful to the point of ridicule.
Williams now occupy the most coveted seat on the grid for next year, with Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant possibly frontrunners for the opportunity, alongside incumbent Nicholas Latifi.
Meanwhile, at Aston Martin, the addition of Alonso adds experience to Stroll that the squad would otherwise have lost after Vettel’s retirement.
“I have witnessed the excitement of the engineering team and the entire organization at the opportunity to work with Fernando,” said Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack.
“We know that almost everyone can learn from someone of Fernando’s caliber and experience.
“We’re sure he’ll inspire everyone to lift their game, and that will only add to the already infectious energy in the team.
“We are on a path to create a winning organization, and it is clear that Fernando will accelerate our progress and lead us to a performance that we can be proud of.
“We are delighted to have Fernando and Lance as our driver line-up next year – the combination of experience and youth will be incredibly strong and both drivers look forward to competing and working together.
“The team has new leadership focused on the development of AMR23, and we are all excited that they and our future projects will benefit from the knowledge and experience that Fernando will bring.”
Team owner Lawrence Stroll added: “I have known and admired Fernando for many years and it has always been clear that he is a committed winner like myself.
“I have set out to bring together the best people and develop the right resources and organization to succeed in this highly competitive sport, and those plans are taking shape at Silverstone.
“It seemed natural to us, therefore, to invite Fernando to be part of the development of a winning team, and very quickly we verified in our last conversations that we had the same ambitions and values, and it was logical and easy to confirm our desire to work together .”