Formula 1
Aston Martin: "Old fox" Alonso brings F1 value beyond pure performance
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack says that “old fox” Fernando Alonso brings much more to the Silverstone Formula 1 outfit than just his proven speed.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Mar 19, 2024, 4:18 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The 42-year-old is in his second season with Aston, having replaced fellow world champion Sebastian Vettel at the start of 2023.
Krack says that Alonso continues to push the team in all areas, on and off the track. “We've seen that last year already when he joined,” he noted.
“It's not only what he brings in terms of proven talent and racecraft; that, I think, we don't have to discuss. He brings this extra to the team, driving and pushing and motivating everybody. And leading by example, from the first moment in the morning to late at night, which is exemplary.
“And this is something that is infecting the whole team, that is something that you want to preserve.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, with Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Krack cited an example from the Saudi Arabian GP, where Alonso was fighting to stay clear of George Russell and trying to extract as much pace as he could out of the hard tyres.
In asking if there was a “Plan B”, Alonso not only gave his team something to think about but also kept rivals on their toes.
“He asked for the Plan B, basically,” said Krack. “‘Is there a Plan B?’
“Fernando is always teasing you, you have to be careful if he's really honest about it, because he knows all the strategies before, he knows where all the field is. And sometimes he maybe does it even on purpose, because he knows the competitors are listening. So he's an old fox.
“But he always wakes us up. As soon as you think for one lap you can read it, there comes a radio call, and he says, ‘What about Plan B?’, like Fernando always does. So we then had a look at the Plan B, but you will not finish where you finish with Plan B.”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Krack also praised the way Alonso kept Russell behind, successfully avoiding giving the Mercedes driver DRS for many laps.
“It was quite strong,” he said. “We knew George was behind, he had good speed, and we did not want to let him into the DRS. So it was all the time between 1.5 and 1.0 seconds in between them.
“And then it is always how much do I manage, and how much do I push to get to the end? But I think he managed it like probably nobody else can. I don't know where he got the gaps from. In my opinion he was always on top of the situation.”
Krack stressed that the team’s priority is to retain Alonso for 2025, while acknowledging that the Spaniard has other opportunities to consider.
“It's not a secret that he first of all wants to decide for himself what he wants to do,” he explained. “And I think it's also not a secret that I keep saying that we want to continue working with Fernando.
“And I also said that the most important thing is that we give him a quick car. So that he believes in this project, and that he believes in this team, and everything else we will have to discuss over the weeks to come.
“Now, it is clear that a driver of that calibre is attractive for everybody, but we will try to keep him.”
Read Also:
Formula 1Alonso will make F1 future call in “next few weeks”
Formula 1Why Aston Martin could beat Mercedes in F1 race to sign Verstappen
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article How Raikkonen's former race engineer became F1 TV's latest pundit
Next article Which F1 team has improved the most in 2024?
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Fernando Alonso
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
“Am I confident? Probably not” – The unprecedented challenge Singapore is throwing at F1 drivers
Fernando Alonso set for Dakar Rally comeback with Aston Martin
Dakar
Dakar
Fernando Alonso set for Dakar Rally comeback with Aston Martin
More from
Aston Martin Racing
“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
“Even faster than Ferrari” – Fernando Alonso grabs Aston Martin’s best result of F1 2026
What the drivers are expecting from F1's return to Sepang
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
What the drivers are expecting from F1's return to Sepang
Latest news
Niels Koolen makes switch to Abel Motorsports ahead of 2027 Indy NXT campaign
Indy NXT
IndL Indy NXT 16 min
Niels Koolen makes switch to Abel Motorsports ahead of 2027 Indy NXT campaign
GT World Challenge Portimao: All you need to know about season finale featuring Max Verstappen
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 52 min
GT World Challenge Portimao: All you need to know about season finale featuring Max Verstappen
13 Autosport retains unchanged lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign, eyes global expansion
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 1 h
13 Autosport retains unchanged lineup for 2027 IMSA campaign, eyes global expansion
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 1 h
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe