Fernando Alonso compares Aston Martin rise to Brawn GP success in 2009

Fernando Alonso praised his “very talented” new team after back-to-back podium finishes and compared Aston Martin’s ascent in the F1 standings to the fantastical Brawn GP tale from 2009. Alonso finished second overall with two rounds completed in 2023, trailing only the Red Bull drivers in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Aston Martin finished seventh in the constructors’ standings in 2021 and 2022.

Alonso was asked if he had ever seen an F1 team take such a step, and he gave Brawn GP as one of two examples after the team triumphantly overcame the loss of Honda at the end of 2008 to win the drivers’ championship with Jenson Button and the constructors’ championship. The two-time world champion added that given the relatively stable regulatory environment between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, Aston Martin’s development over the most recent winter period is even more impressive.

“Ferrari when it was 2020, they were very bad, or 2021, then in the following year – last year – they were fighting for the championship, or won the first two or three Grands Prix of the year, so Ferrari made a huge step last year. [There was also] Brawn GP – huge,” said Alonso. “With a non-regulation change, [Aston Martin’s is] probably the biggest one. All the others, they were with the regulation change, plus with the cost cap it’s very difficult to do something like that, but we have very talented people in the team – so far it’s been a good start and hopefully only the start.”

Lewis Hamilton ‘not planning on leaving anytime soon’

For the past couple of years, Mercedes have been in a spot of bother. Ever since Max Verstappen edged Lewis Hamilton to the driver’s world championship in 2021, the team has simply not been the same dominant force fans have been used to. This fact rings true even for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion failed to win a single race in 2022 and has had a lackluster start to the 2023 campaign as well. Hamilton has finished fifth in both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GP.

Earlier, team principal Toto Wolff said that he would understand if the motorsport legend chooses to leave the team if they do not improve within the next couple of years. When asked about the same, Hamilton said that he was not bothered about the comments. “I’m not focused on that,” the Brit said as per RacingNews365.com. “I love this team. I’m so grateful for everyone that’s been on the journey with me with this team. I don’t envisage being anywhere else. I don’t see myself quitting. I don’t feel like I’m a quitter.”

However, the second oldest driver on the grid in 2023 has also acknowledged that Mercedes’ performance this season has been below par and that it has not given him a lot to be positive about. “I wouldn’t say that it’s giving me a lot,” he said.

“I’ve been there and done that and bought the t-shirt many times. But I am trying to be patient and work with the team to get us to a good place. That’s all I can say right now. I’m not planning on going anywhere.”