Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin: honeymoon period or marriage made in heaven? Premium

A driver hungry for another shot at an F1 title and a team bankrolled by an ambitious billionaire have become Red Bull’s closest challengers in the early part of the season. Is this a relationship that is built to last?

Top-line Formula One drivers seldom stick around without winning a race for a decade — especially those who were once on the path to statistical greatness. And yet, last Friday marked ten years since Fernando Alonso last won an F1 race: the 2013 Spanish GP.

Back in 2006, when he claimed his second straight world championship, Alonso was seen as the driver most likely to challenge Michael Schumacher’s record of seven titles. After all, he had stopped the German’s five-year winning streak in 2005, becoming the youngest world champion.

But a series of events — some outside his control, some self-inflicted — led to the Spaniard taking a sabbatical after the 2018 season without adding to his world titles before returning in 2021.

It was a strange decision to return at 39, and that too with a midfield team. Alonso found limited success, with just a podium for Alpine in two years. 

Unsurprisingly, the team wanted to offer the 41-year-old only a one-year contract. At the same time, a vacancy at Aston Martin opened up following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement. 

When Alonso announced he was joining Aston on a multi-year deal, it looked like another questionable career choice. For, this was a team that had finished seventh out of ten constructors in 2022, after starting the season with a flawed car.

However, five races into 2023, the decision seems to be a masterstroke. Few expected Alonso to be Red Bull’s closest challenger. But he has secured four podiums and is third on the drivers’ standings with 75 points, behind Max Verstappen (119) and Sergio Perez (105).