Aston Martin braced for “uncomfortable questions” from Alonso

Sam Hall
Friday 26 August 2022 16:45

Team principal Mike Krack has conceded that Aston Martin is braced for Fernando Alonso to ask some "uncomfortable questions" when he joins the team next year.

Aston Martin moved quickly to confirm that Alonso will replace Sebastian Vettel when the German retires are the end of the season.

The Spaniard is known for being a ruthless operator and asked how he expects the relationship between the 'strong characters' of Alonso and team owner Lawrence Stroll to play out, Krack told Sky Sports F1: "He's a champion and there is a reason why people are champions.

"And it is because they are very competitive, they are asking the right questions and they push the teams to the limit.

"For us, it is important to have someone like that to ask some uncomfortable questions and it pushes us one step further.

"So I think, for the team, it is the right thing to have two people like that."

Aston Martin "privileged" to host Alonso

Alonso's last F1 race victory came at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix with Ferrari and he has only featured in the top three on eight occasions since then.

But he remains one of the most highly-rated drivers in the paddock with his talents refusing to fade with age.

Asked about his expectations of Alonso, Krack added: First of all, Fernando is super-fast and that is the first criteria. Then, he is very hungry and very competitive.

"Normally, with this amount of experience, it is very difficult to have that so we are privileged that we have this combination of experience and competitiveness and speed.

"I think he will do great things with us but it would be not right to say now which position we will end up in. I think he is the right driver for our journey to make this a front-running team."