Raul Martin, a Spanish aerodynamicist who works for Aston Martin F1, admitted that the news of Fernando Alonso joining the team was a bomb because it was completely unexpected.
This year’s season of transitions started with a real sensation, because only a small circle of insiders knew about the decision of the two-time world champion, and there were no rumors on this topic at all. Even for Alpine, this came as a surprise: the team expected to continue working with Alonso, but he had other plans.
“Very early in the morning, just before the news appeared in the press, the team management informed us by email,” Raul Martin shared on Cadena SER radio. – And then we started discussing it – even though I was already on vacation, it felt like I was back in the office.
The news that Alonso will join the team was received with enthusiasm by everyone! All the Spaniards who work in the team – and we are 18 people – exchanged messages and urged each other to work hard and give the very best. We are all very happy!
Previously, the team employed 300-400 people, but in the past six months, the workforce has doubled. Now we have nearly 800 employees and Lawrence Stroll is investing a lot of money in this project. He wants to win, he wants Aston Martin F1 to take the lead and to achieve this in Formula 1 it takes investment.
Just two or three weeks ago, Pedro de la Rosa visited our base, and we had an informal chat over dinner. We exchanged ideas and as he is a good friend of Alonso, at one point we said jokingly that if he had the chance, he would advise Fernando to move to our team. Then it seemed impossible.
The arrival of Alonso is very important. The team said Mick Schumacher or Nicholas Latifi could come to us. Frankly, no one seriously thought about Fernando, we believed he would stay with Alpine. It’s hard to believe, but he will drive for Aston Martin.
He is in top form and came back to Formula 1 for a reason. He came back because he really wants to achieve something. I once won a Fernando Alonso scholarship to get into Formula 1, and now I have to work with him. The circle is closed.
But it is impossible to achieve quick success. It takes another two or three years to win races. But Alonso plans to devote more than a year to this project, he will work in the team for several years.
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
