Why the perception of Alonso's Aston Martin switch has transformed
OPINION: Fernando Alonso's switch from Alpine to Aston Martin on a multi-year deal for 2023 was a shock upon its announcement midway through last season. It's a move that has been questioned, given both Alonso's advanced stage in his career and Aston's underwhelming results. But the perception of this switch has seemingly changed to a more positive outlook
Much has changed in the five months between 1 August 2022 and the first day of the new year. Britain made its way through a couple more prime ministers, crowned a winner of Strictly Come Dancing and Benoit Blanc solved another murder. In that same short period, the perception of Fernando Alonso jumping the Alpine ship to sign for Aston Martin has transformed completely.
Only four days after Sebastian Vettel joined the murky world of social media to announce his retirement from grand prix racing, news broke that Alonso would be filling the void left by his fellow world champion at Lawrence Stroll’s squad. It is known that Alpine was dragging its feet with contract negotiations. Alonso wanted a firm two-year extension but was only being offered the one as his employer tried to keep the camp of FIA Formula 2 and 3 champion Oscar Piastri sweet.
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