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Fernando Alonso believes he can make a difference at Aston Martin as the team look to make progress in 2023.
The two time champion joined the squad from Alpine after Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from F1 in 2022.
Aston Martin finished three places behind Alpine in the Constructors Standings last year, so the move could look like a backwards step.
But in their quest to move up the grid, Aston Martin are building a factory that will host a new wind tunnel and simulator, while they also have former Red Bull head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows on board.
And Alonso has spoken about what he can bring to the team. He was quoted by Motorsport.com as saying: “Where I believe I can make a difference is when it comes to crucial moments in the races, experience, decisions or thinking about the strategy.
“It’s not about the driving abilities, I think we all have high talent, driving cars fast. It is more about the head and how you control a few things.”
While Alonso is 41, he has a desire to stay in F1 for years to come.
And the Spaniard admitted that he would not continue if he did not think he was driving at his best or if his new team did not have any chance of winning.
He added: “I will not continue if I don’t believe that we can have a chance.
“I don’t know if it’s one per cent chance or 10 per cent, but I will only continue because I believe that we will have a chance.
“Next year to close the gap that Aston Martin has I think it’s unrealistic, but we need to put the foundation we need, to put the baseline to future cars and to work better than the people around us.”