Fernando Alonso credits former boss and 'Crashgate' perpetrator for Aston Martin switch

Fernando Alonso recently shared how his former team boss at Renault, Flavio Briatore, indirectly convinced him to join Aston Martin.

Briatore believed in Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll's vision of making a championship-winning team and was heavily invested in the project. This made the 41-year-old Spaniard interested in the team.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle in Miami, Fernando Alonso explained how he was not 100% convinced of joining the team back in 2022 when Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement. However, after seeing his former boss' interest in the Aston Martin project, Alonso changed his mind.

The Spaniard said:

"I mean, I have always… I didn’t trust, you know, 100% everything that the teams tell you in August. Flavio was quite keen on the Aston Martin project. I think he saw the investment, he saw the vision of Lawrence, which, obviously, he is a very important leader we have in the team, and once I think Lawrence has a goal, he will get it."

Fernando Alonso went on to praise Lawrence Stroll for having a vision as a leader. He believes that the Canadian billionaire will succeed eventually, even if it takes several years. Alonso concluded:

"He will succeed eventually, you know. It maybe takes two years, five, or seven, but he will get it – and I think Flavio was quite strong into [the] Aston Martin project."

After the two-time world champion joined the green British team and started the 2023 F1 season, he instantly learned that the car they made was brilliant.

Fernando Alonso has stood on four out of five podiums after finishing third. Though they are unable to catch Red Bull, Aston Martin have shown how quickly a team can skyrocket to the front if they work hard enough.

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Fernando Alonso feels the Miami GP was the best race for Aston Martin in 2023

Fernando Alonso was delighted to stand on the podium once again in the 2023 F1 Miami GP.

The Spaniard was able to keep his Aston Martin in third position, as there was no other driver or team apart from Red Bull, who could challenge him. He explained how he was only 15 seconds behind the top team, which was much better than in previous races. The 41-year-old said:

"Yeah, I think so. I think it was 15 seconds or something like that. So yeah, that probably was our best race of the year in terms of race pace. Yeah, we need to keep understanding the car; obviously, still everything new to us. We found ourselves in a position that we still difficult to believe, but yeah, we are maximizing every Sunday, so this is the way to go."

Fernando Alonso currently sits third in the drivers' championship table with 75 points. Aston Martin are currently in second place with 102 points.