F1: Alonso to take Vettel’s vacated Aston Martin seat (2nd Update)

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is expected to earn around £25million a year from Aston Martin.

Why did he move from Alpine, which has faster cars, to Aston Martin?

When in doubt, follow the money.

It will pad Fernando’s retirement nest egg.

Alonso said: “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.

“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 organization that is committed to learn, develop and succeed.”

All nice words, but he went for the money.

After learning they lost Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin, the Alpine team tweeted out this statement:

We wish Fernando the best for his future in Formula 1. Fernando has always been, and always will be, part of the Renault and Alpine family and we’re proud and privileged to have shared so many on-track moments together.

We look forward to finishing the remainder of the 2022 season with Fernando in blue, and we’ll keep pushing to the maximum until the final lap in November.

The team will announce its driver line-up for the 2023 Formula 1 season in due course.

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team announced today that Fernando Alonso will join the team in 2023 on a multi-year contract. The whole company is very excited to bring Fernando’s incredible experience and brilliant pace and race craft to the team. The recruitment of a special talent such as Fernando is a clear statement of intent from an organization that has committed to developing a winning Formula One team.

Fernando Alonso: “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. 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 organization that is committed to learn, develop and succeed. We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance. The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.”

Lawrence Stroll (Executive Chairman): “I have known and admired Fernando for many years and it has always been clear that he is a committed winner like me. 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 now taking shape at Silverstone. It seemed natural therefore to invite Fernando to be part of the development of a winning team, and we very quickly established in our recent conversations that we have the same ambitions and values, and it was logical and easy to confirm our desire to work together.”

Mike Krack (Team Principal): “I have witnessed the excitement in the engineering team and throughout the whole organization at the opportunity to work with Fernando. We know that nearly everyone can learn from someone of Fernando’s caliber and experience. We are confident that he will inspire everyone to lift their game, and that will only enhance the already infectious energy that exists within the team. We are on a journey to create a winning organization, and it is clear that Fernando will accelerate our progress and bring us to a performance in which we can take pride. 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 a new leadership focused on the development of AMR23, and we are all thrilled that they and our future projects will benefit from the knowledge and experience that Fernando will bring.”