Despite a successful season with eight podiums, the Spanish Aston Martin driver recognizes the strong competition and the need to correct mistakes. Will the team be able to catch up and bring Alonso to his 2024rd victory in 33?
Precaution. This is the word that Fernando Alonso chooses to face 2024. A year that comes after a 2023 in which the driver, a 42-year-old "rookie", was able to savor the podium and glimpse victory. Fourth in the standings, 206 points, 8 podiums and a perfect connection with the car in the first part of the season allowed the Spaniard to return, making us dream of victory number 33. A victory that did not materialize in a season marked by challenges, especially after an unexpected start for many.
In Brazil, after a long absence from the Grand Prix and with Aston Martin once again in anonymity, Alonso, also known as “Magic”, showed his magic again. A driving magic that many expect to see in 2024, although it will not only depend on the talent of the two-time world champion. And it is precisely for this reason that Fernando uses the word precaution, aware that he will face strong competition and hard work in 2024 with a Red Bull that is still expected to be dominant and other teams trying to reduce the gap created by the Milton Keynes team .
“We exceeded expectations this year because they were low. This is why the season is incredible. If we set expectations that are too high, unrealistically high, there is a danger that the opposite will happen.” The pilot recognizes that the basis for 2024 is solid. If in 2023, especially for him, everything was new, now the entire team can focus on optimizing the work done last season to prepare a new period focused on correcting the errors and attention to detail that have slowed Aston Martin's growth this year.
If there is something certain and tangible, it is the harmony between Fernando and his AMR23. The Spaniard and his green single-seater were one in the first races of the season.
Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin
“There are moments in your life, in your career, when you connect with the car in a different way. It's hard to explain, but you are one with the machine, you trust it, you do things that initially seemed impossible. Some of this year's performances, like 2012's, have been in that mystical region, where you can do things you thought were against the laws of physics."
Can Aston Martin give him back that connection and increase consistency in the AMR24?
Although the year started with high expectations, the irregularities and inconsistent pace that we didn't see again until Sao Paulo brought the green team back to reality. Mike Krack, Aston Martin team director, reflected on these ups and downs and the lessons learned which will help solidify and progress in the following year.
“We have understood a lot, we know what we want to do for 2024 and the direction we need to take with next year's car, but this does not necessarily guarantee our presence at the inaugural race in Bahrain. We face formidable competition, and the big unknown during the winter is always what kind of work the other teams have done.”
Mike Krack, Team Principal Aston Martin
What is clear to Krack is Fernando's invaluable contribution, both on and off the track. The Spaniard's commitment helps the team improve every day, and it is this same commitment that they hope to return to him in 2024, with the long-awaited victory number 33.
The expectations on Aston Martin and Alonso amplify the interest in the future choices to be made also in FantaF1, in a year full of innovations, where the Spanish driver could prove fundamental not only on the track.
