Mike Krack believes Fernando Alonso will bring "killer instinct" to Aston Martin when the two-time Formula 1 World Champion joins the team in 2023. Alonso upended the driver market by announcing he was leaving Alpine to pen a "multi-year" deal with Aston Martin as a replacement for the retiring Sebastian Vettel. The 41-year-old will partner Lance Stroll at the Silverstone-based squad as he joins the fifth different constructor of his long career. And Krack believes the team will be receiving the complete driver – one who by the time he starts the 2023 campaign will be the most experienced driver in F1 history.
Fernando Alonso has "killer instinct", says Aston Martin boss
"[Fernando] just has that killer instinct, no matter what, you know that he will always give you everything: always push 100 per cent, always extract the maximum from the car and the team," observed Krack. "His racecraft is exceptional – a formidable combination of confidence, instinct and intelligence. "He will demand a lot from us, but that's to be expected from a multiple World Champion. "Fernando will be a driving force as we climb together and, like everyone in the team, I cannot wait to work with him."
Alonso is Aston Martin's statement signing
When Aston Martin returned as a works squad to F1 in 2021, it partnered Stroll with four-time champion Vettel, who had just left Ferrari. Now the German is hanging his helmet up at season's end, the team has brought in another of F1's biggest names in Alonso to spearhead its push for race wins and World Championship success. Krack believes having someone of Alonso's calibre join the team is testament to the work ongoing at the Silverstone-based squad to turn them into winners. "Signing Fernando is a clear statement of our intent at Aston Martin F1. We are not on the grid to make up the numbers. We are here to win," said the German. "We are on a journey to the front of the grid and Fernando’s decision to join us on that journey – to have a driver of his calibre believe in the Aston Martin F1 project – is a great compliment to our team and the work we are doing. "The prospect of having Fernando and Lance in the car next year is a hugely exciting one."
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