Aston Martin Formula 1 team principal Mike Krack says it does not share Alpine’s fear that Fernando Alonso’s age could see his form tail off.
The Silverstone-based outfit caused a shock when it announced the day after the Hungarian Grand Prix it had secured Alonso’s services on a multi-year deal.
Alpine had expected to re-sign Alonso for 2023, but its unwillingness to offer the two-time world champion a long-term contract allowed Aston to swoop in to seal Alonso’s signature.
Despite Alonso being a regular points finisher this year, Alpine didn’t want to commit to a multi-year contract if his performances dropped off, but Aston Martin insists it has no concerns over Alonso’s age.
“We always say 40 is the new 30,” Krack said at the Belgian Grand Prix, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “So from this point of view, he’s quite a young driver then.
“We have no such concerns. I mean, he’s still demonstrating today that he is superfast, and we do not expect any drop off at all.”
While many expect this to be Alonso’s last contract in F1, Krack believes he could sign a further deal down the line to help it achieve its ambition of being a front-running team.
“I will not be surprised if this is going longer to be honest,” he said.
Aston Martin didn’t take long to reach an agreement with Alonso over a deal, as it moved quickly to replace Sebastian Vettel after the four-time world champion announced his retirement.
Despite Aston Martin’s struggles this year that sees it lying ninth in the constructors’ championship, Krack stressed Alonso didn’t need much convincing to sign the contract as it outlined its future plans.
“Fernando was always saying, if both parties want to do something it is 10 minutes and then it is done,” Krack said. “So it was quick….There were a couple of 10 minute [conversations].
“We openly spoke about our infrastructure and about how we are planning to do this in the coming years. And I think that was convincing enough.
“Fernando is also monitoring: Fernando is a clever bloke. He knows exactly what’s going on in the teams. He has a huge network for all these years.
“So I don’t think that we will have to do convincing work. He knows what’s going on through his various sources. And I think the project is something where he is aware he can have a big impact, and I think that’s very appealing for him.”
Krack felt Vettel’s timing to make his retirement call played a key part in allowing Aston Martin to chase Alonso, praising the German for not holding up the process.
“We have to give huge credit to Sebastian, because he’s aware of the situation and we spoke about it before with him,” he said.
“It shows how open and transparent we were with him and he was with us. He was aware that we could fall into such a situation that you have described.
“I think that is also why he made up his mind in the right moment. So from that point of view, I think he was a great help in wanting us to get out of this situation in a good way. And he did not want to reverse the progress.”
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