Aston Martin chief explains Fernando Alonso's outstanding contribution in 2023

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Aston Martin chief explains Alonso's outstanding contribution in 2023

The team had fears upon the Spaniard's arrival with his reputation with his teams

Tyler Rowlinson

Saturday 30 December 2023 15:57

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough has explained how Fernando Alonso was able to flip the team’s fears of working with him when he joined in 2023.

The Spaniard replaced the retiring Sebastian Vettel after he departed Alpine and was able to achieve eight podium finishes across the season, including six in the first eight races.

Despite an electric start, Aston Martin were unable to maintain their pace throughout the season and ended up losing fourth in the constructors’ championship to McLaren, but the team still proved they had cleared the midfield with the AMR23.

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Fernando Alonso achieved his best F1 finish since 2013 with Aston Martin in 2023

The team finished fifth in the constructors' championship

Alonso's impact at Aston Martin

On a personal note, Alonso achieved his best finish in the standings since 2013 with fourth and has been a key figure in the team’s success this season.

However, Alonso is notorious for having a conflicting relationship with his teams, but McCullough revealed how he was able to change that perception.

"He's been a really positive force, every single day from the minute he turned up to the [Abu Dhabi 2022] test," he explained to RacingNews365.

Tom McCullough believes Alonso has had a really positive impact on the team

"He came in fresh and excited and gave real good feedback and saw a lot of things that he liked, he pointed us to areas that he thought we needed to improve the car in.

"This year, he's been relentless and not really knowing him [before], you sort of had a picture of what he's going to be like, but he's been very impressive with how hard he's pushed, but also how efficient he is with his feedback.

"With how knowledgeable and constructive he is inside the team, it's been really impressive."

McLaren Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Alpine Sebastian Vettel