Alonso makes Aston Martin prediction after luckless season

Sam Hall
Friday 9 December 2022 08:42

Fernando Alonso has predicted a "massive" change of fortune in 2023 after enduring relentless reliability problems this past F1 season.

The Spanish driver will join Aston Martin at the turn of the year after a season where Alpine's dreadful reliability prevented him from scoring the points his performances deserved.

Alonso was highly critical of this problem to the extent that he was openly counting down the days before he was able to sample 'the green car' in a post-season test in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking before the São Paulo Grand Prix, Alonso initially joked: "After ’22, I will have massive luck next year on everything."

He added: "It has been amazing this year.

"I know there were a lot of talks after Mexico - five DNFs this year with engine issues - but there are another four races that I finished all without a battery, or the car didn’t start in Austria, or I lost one wheel in the pit stop. It was amazing.

“Twenty races, and to have problems in nine or something, it’s nearly 50 percent of the races.”

Alonso added his sixth retirement through reliability issues at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a result that left him ninth in the drivers' standings and 11 points behind team-mate Esteban Ocon.

Reflecting on his deficit, Alonso added: “I should be 60 points ahead of any other midfield driver this year.”