One moment can make or break a driver’s career. When it comes to Fernando Alonso, the moment that made everyone believe he’d finally arrived was when he won the 2005 San Marino GP in Imola. With a seven-time champion in Michael Schumacher chasing him, Alonso unleashed a defensive masterclass to seal the deal. Considering the two championships that came after that, Alonso had little left to prove. So after spending 18 years in the sport, he retired, only to come back because he knew he had so much more to give. And so much more to achieve. Who knew the one moment that would make things align for Alonso would come a year after his return?

Fresh off winning two titles, Alonso went to McLaren. Partnering with a certain rookie called Lewis Hamilton, the 2007 season was the start of a now-age-old rivalry. While Alonso couldn’t win any more championships, Hamilton has since added seven to his name. Watching his rival do that, Alonso’s F1 spark reignited and he joined Alpine in 2021. A year later, an Aston Martin deal came knocking, and everything clicked into place.

What made Fernando Alonso trust Aston Martin?

At the heart of the saga to sign Alonso sits Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll. In 2018, the Canadian billionaire bought Force India and rebranded it to Racing Point. In 2020, he bought a stake in Aston Martin and introduced the brand to F1 as the new name for Racing Point in 2021. With the name change came four-time champion Sebastian Vettel. And well, he may have brought his former rival, Alonso, a step closer to his dream.

It was clear Alonso wasn’t happy at Alpine (formerly Renault, the team he won both his championships with). The 42-year-old knew he wouldn’t achieve his dream of winning more races and championships with Alpine in the near future. Remember the one moment that can make or break a driver’s career? For a reinvigorated Alonso, that was Vettel announcing his retirement at the end of 2022. In an interview with GQ, Alonso opened up about just what lured him to choose Aston Martin as his next move.

“I spoke with Lawrence about the possibility of joining the team after Sebastian Vettel’s announcement, and he was very convincing in selling the project and all the new people that were joining,” explained Alonso. What project is he talking about? Stroll recently invested a whopping $250 million in a state-of-the-art factory in Silverstone—Aston Martin’s base. Alonso added, “In the design office, there were big names coming from different teams. I saw a lot of talent. There was a big project behind this team, and it was happening. It wasn’t just talk.” 

That was the selling point. “Facts were supporting Lawrence’s words. I thought it was a logical move for me if I wanted to aim for something higher than my previous team. It didn’t take long for us to join forces.”

Read More: “We Know What We Are Doing”: Fernando Alonso Lauds Aston Martin’s Genius After Raging Over Red Bull Link

Seeing how much progress Aston Martin has made since 2022, and the fact that Alonso has found success again, the move is paying dividends for both parties. Although it may have seemed that Alonso’s starting to lose faith in Aston Martin, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Fernando Alonso still very much believes in his team

Coming into the season, Alonso hoped Aston Martin would occasionally fight for podiums. He knew the team was on the right path, and by 2024, he believed the Silverstone outfit could regularly compete for podiums. Surprisingly, 2023 started with a haul of podiums for the two-time champion. But as the season progressed, Aston Martin got progressively worse.

While Alonso had been vocal about his criticisms, he never once pointed to the fact that he wanted to leave. Even so, when rumors about a possible shift to Red Bull sprung up, people started questioning Alonso’s loyalty toward Aston Martin.

Alonso cleared everything up, though. Not only did he threaten consequences for the people who started the Red Bull rumors, but he also instilled his faith in his team. As reported by Autosport, Alonso said, “I know that we are more and more like football here and only the last result seems to count. But we cannot forget where we’ve come from and what the project is about. So, I’m very proud of this season so far.”

WATCH THIS STORY | Will Fernando Alonso & Aston Martin Be a Top F1 Championship Contender Soon?

Fernando Alonso seems mighty happy with his choice to switch to Aston Martin. Do you share the two-time champion’s feelings?