Alonso delight despite "pain in different places" after Aston Martin debut

Ian Parkes
Tuesday 22 November 2022 13:31 - Updated: 13:31

Fernando Alonso was left thrilled after making his Aston Martin debut despite "feeling pain in different places".

Just two days after concluding a two-year spell with Alpine, the two-time F1 champion switched garages to drive for Aston Martin in an end-of-season test at the Yas Island circuit, albeit with the AMR22 unbranded for contractual reasons.

Alonso, first out of the pit lane such was his enthusiasm, completed a staggering 97 laps over his five hours behind the wheel before handing the car to 2023 team-mate Lance Stroll.

"I'm so happy," said Alonso. "I cannot be over-confident because everything is going to change [with the car] for next year.

"But the feeling I had in the garage with the guys, the potential of the team, the talent I see in the engineering room is outstanding.

"I'm really, really, really happy right now. It's only the first day but you can spot the energy in the team, how motivated everyone is.

"Honestly, I can't wait for next year because I felt a very special atmosphere in the garage."

Alonso outlines priorities with Aston Martin

The only downside for Alonso was the uncomfortable nature of the seat which left him sore given the volume of laps undertaken.

Assessing what will need to be worked on over the winter in order to get him fully prepared for the start of next season, Alonso replied: "First, the seat.

"I have a lot of pain in different places so we will have to make a new seat when we have a little more time.

"Obviously, we did 97 laps compressed into one morning, so it was quite extreme.

"We will have to sit down and I will have to now go through in my mind everything I felt.

"There are small things and most of them are comfort, it's not really the balance or the behaviour of the car.

"It's the shift downs for the gears, the pit lane, the dash, messages, when you do a change, how long does the message take to pop up on the dash, these kinds of things.

"You are used to one set-up so you try to accommodate things to see in a more natural way, so these kinds of things are the priority right now."