Alpine was 'happy with fourth' – Alonso

Feb.16 (GMM) Fernando Alonso couldn’t resist a jibe at his former team as he got up to speed at the wheel of an Aston Martin this week.

When the 41-year-old Spaniard announced his impending switch to Aston Martin, he said owner Lawrence Stroll’s project seemed “more ambitious” than Alpine’s.

Now, following the 2023 Aston Martin reveal and his initial laps at nearby Silverstone, Alonso said he signed up at the team because it is “not happy with fourth, third or second”.

“It is very different to other teams I have been with, which have been successful in the past, but were fourth and they were happy with fourth. Or they were fifth and they were satisfied or a seventh position was a celebration,” said the two-time champion.

“Here, there will be no celebrations until we win,” Alonso insisted.

And Alonso admitted he would be “lying” if he thought race wins were possible in a green car straight away.

“I expect tough races until we find the ideal operating window for the car and the settings,” he said.

“In the first five or six races at Alpine, I had a lot of trouble feeling the front end, with different settings on the power steering, all that stuff.

“This year we only have a day and a half of testing in Bahrain so I am aware that I will not be 100 percent there or in Jeddah. Perhaps not even Australia,” said Alonso.

“I think it’s the only sport in the world where you do a day and a half of practice before taking part in a world championship.”