Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has labeled Fernando Alonso as the ‘surprise of the year’ for his sudden and unanticipated move.
Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement following a couple of bad and underperforming seasons with Aston Martin. The move came by surprise but was somewhat expected due to the struggles German had to go through during the last 2 years. Not able to fight in an underperforming car. Let’s hope the 4-time World Champion enjoys his retirement.
Anyways, the even bigger surprise came when Fernando Alonso switched teams. The Spaniard announced that he would be leaving Alpine for Aston Martin in 2023. The move was shocking because Alonso had expressed earlier that he wanted to fight in a more competitive team. However, Aston Martin is performing even worse than Alpine at the moment.
The British team doesn’t even fight for points on regular basis. It’s a lower midfield team and can’t really promise Alonso many points. Although, the team might improve but currently it wasn’t the best option for Alonso.
Fernando Alonso is still ‘fine as a wine’
The 41-year-old is still performing at top of his game. The Spaniard has scored points in each of the last eight races. The 2-time world champion has got his form back after reliability issues hindered his performances at the start of the season.
His performances and skills haven’t gone unnoticed and Red Bull’s Helmut Marko has taken his chance to praise the 41-year-old.
The 79-year-old said this when asked about Vettel’s retirement:
“Vettel’s meticulousness was a perfect match for our DNA. Everything worked together perfectly. Now he has other priorities, he can’t even make it onto the podium with his car. So it’s logical that he draws the consequences. If you don’t put your heart and soul into it, you can’t go on.”
When asked if Alonso would be able to perform and adapt at Aston Martin Marko said:
“He’s so fast. It’s unbelievable what kind of races he delivers, for me he’s the surprise of the year. As a driver, I even think he can still win races. The only question is whether Aston Martin can provide him with the right package.”
Alpine lost Fernando Alonso because of uncertain deal terms. Alonso switched teams to get more time in Formula 1. The 41-year-old still believes he can beat others and even win in the ‘pinnacle of motorsports’.
But can he do it in Aston Martin? We will only know the next season.
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