Ninety-seven laps, and the third fastest time (when he stopped) don’t say it all. Fernando Alonso’s first words after driving the Aston Martin for the first time confirmed the smile with which ‘Nando’ left the box to return to the team’s hospitality. “When I entered the garage this morning – he said – I saw the car completely green (without sponsors) and I was reminded of a test I had done twenty years ago with Jaguar”.
As soon as he took to the track, the first to do so as soon as the traffic light at the end of the Yas Marina pit lane turned green, Fernando clocked a time of 1’26″6, or three tenths more than the time obtained in similar conditions with the ‘Alpine. It was his visiting card, together with the visit made to the team early yesterday morning (there too, the first rider to enter the paddock), confirming an eternal boy who, in terms of motivation, does not fear comparison with any rookie .
How did this debut go?
“The first day is always special. Lots of new faces, lots of new people to meet and work with. So yeah, very special. Of course it’s only day one, but I could see the energy you feel in the team, how highly motivated everyone is, and I honestly can’t wait for next year, because I felt a very special atmosphere in the garage. ”.
What will you focus on after this first taste?
“First of all definitely the seat! I suffered a little on my left side, and even now I have some pain left. We completed 97 laps in one morning, so it was pretty extreme mileage. There are also other small details, more related to comfort than to the general balance of the single-seater, for example the gear change tones, for the pit lane, the messages on the display, let’s say this kind of thing”.
In terms of driving, how has the adaptation gone?
“When you change team it’s always a challenge, because you have to get used to new people, a new way of working, new philosophies. But in the end what counts is the lap time, and in my first ‘run’ I got a 26”6. So the adaptation is almost done!”.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR22
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Apart from the procedures you mentioned, how different is the behavior of the car?
“It’s very different, because I think the philosophies are very different (the comparison is with Alpine) on how they designed the car and how they manage it. So it was nice to hear the differences a bit, and try to understand, it’s not often you get the chance to test two Formula 1 single-seaters on the same track two days apart. You have the opportunity to evaluate different things.
What sensations did you get on the power unit front?
“A different feeling…”. (Fernando smiles)
Satisfied with the reliability?
“Much. When they told me the engine mileage last night, I was concerned, I told the engineers that number is a bit high by my standards. But we did 97 laps without any problems, so it’s definitely great.”
Did you do more laps than you expected?
“No, it was all in the schedule. I tried to do as many laps as possible, and Lance now has the opportunity to evaluate a bit the changes we made during the morning. I asked for them because they were necessary for me in terms of steering feel and stuff like that. So it will be important to get Lance’s impressions to see if he too feels an edge and if we can do similar setups for next year.”
Are you as optimistic as you were this morning or has something changed?
“Now I am much more optimistic. When I signed for Aston Martin, I was 90% happy, when they started improving and finished the season strong, I switched 100%, and now we’re over 100%. It was a nice surprise.”
Expectations for next season?
“We will see. I think in the end we will have to wait for the new cars in the Bahrain tests and see the direct comparison. Obviously for me now there will be a phase in which I will have to get along with the team, and work hard this winter with many hours in the simulator to familiarize myself with the controls on the steering wheel, the procedures, and everything that is different from mine habits. I have to train until everything becomes automatic in my head, in my fingers, in all movements, so I’ll be sure to arrive in Bahrain 100% ready.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR22
Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
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