The 2022 F1 season was the year when Sebastian Vettel thought it was about time he brings his career to a conclusion. During the summer break, the German made sure he conveyed this message to the world about his decision. As the four-time world champion made up his mind to leave the sport he adored, his place at Aston Martin was up for grabs. Fernando Alonso made good use of this opportunity and decided to jump ship. As Alonso decided to stay back a little longer despite being 41 years old and work with Aston Martin, team principal Mike Krack applauded his valiant efforts.
As per Spanish media outlet AS, Krack said, “Seb [Sebastian Vettel] is a 4-time champion, but he’s a different person. He made the decision to retire, while Fernando chose to continue longer. It changes the motivation of the team.” [translated by Google]
“There’s a dynamic in the team that revolves around that. We’re grateful for what Sebastian has brought. He’s taken the team to another level, but the combination of the investments behind it and Fernando’s hunger is what makes us make even more progress,” further asserted the Luxembourger executive.
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The Spanish driver, who already pushed Aston Martin to make a big F1 promise, switched to the team after spending two bitter-sweet years with Alpine. As the four-time world champion Vettel retired, the two-time world champion’s presence has to be the perfect replacement in a team, Krack further believes.
Fernando Alonso is a front-row talent
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has a huge appreciation for their new star driver, Fernando Alonso. The British team boss believes in their new driver and he hopes that the tides change under him at Silverstone. Comparing Alonso to top-tier talent, Krack hailed the new master to spearhead their attack.
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) January 27, 2023
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As per Motorsport Total’s report, Krack said, “If everyone drove an identical car, then he would be in the front row.” This means the 50-year-old boss believes in the fact that Alonso still belongs to the league of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, or Charles Leclerc.
“The main task now is to provide Fernando with a car that is capable of doing this. If we produce it, he will put it where it belongs,” Krack further put his hopes on the Aston Martin engineers.
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Admittedly, Alonso still got the nerve to be one of the best at this age. Had there been no reliability issues with his Alpine in 2022, he could have been a reckoning force to chase Lando Norris and beat Esteban Ocon at the points table.