Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll says he signed Fernando Alonso to a multi-year contract because the pair share the same commitment and ambition.
Alonso has been signed from Alpine to replace Sebastian Vettel, after the four-time world champion announced his retirement on Thursday. The moves come at a time when Aston is ninth in the constructors’ championship and Alonso recently turned 41, but Stroll says it is the calibre of driver that the team wanted and the Spaniard showed he was committed to the project.
“I have known and admired Fernando for many years and it has always been clear that he is a committed winner like me,” Stroll said. “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.”
Team principal Mike Krack says there has already been a boost within the team at the news as it replaces one multiple world champion with another, while also confirming that Lance Stroll has a contract alongside Alonso for 2023.
“I have witnessed the excitement in the engineering team and throughout the whole organization at the opportunity to work with Fernando,” Krack said. “We know that nearly everyone can learn from someone of Fernando’s calibre 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.”
