Right Place At The Right Time?

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, F1, AGP.

    There are those that would profess that Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso's immense talent is deserving of ascending Formula One's zenith by amassing numerous championships. There are those that would suggest that by already being a double champion that this has already been achieved. Or others would conclude that Alonso has simply been at the right team at the wrong time.
    After debuting with backmarkers Minardi in 2001, Alonso became the then youngest F1 race winner in 2003 and the then youngest championship winner in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, thus halting Ferrari's phenomenal run and dethroning the great Michael Schumacher in the process. All started well right?
    A move to still front running McLaren for 2007 seemed an informed decision. However, the debut of Lewis Hamilton saw a contentious season unfold. Alonso felt team support was skewered towards the rookie despite famously stating that it was he who put 2 seconds on the car. It all came to a head during the Hungarian GP as the two sabotaged each other's  qualifying. Technical espionage was also exposed costing McLaren their championship points and $100m. This all resulted in Alonso leaving McLaren by mutual consent one year into a 3 year deal. He then returned to Renault for '08 and '09 only to skulk around the midfield. Next the lure of Ferrari proved too much and he answered the call of Maranello. Ferrari wanted Alonso to the extent of paying out the last year of 2007 champ Kimi Raikkonen's contract to make a race seat available. For reasons only Ferrari and Alonso know, they fell short of the ultimate plaudits. 5 years netted three 2nd places in the championship for Alonso during Red Bull's first period of dominance. Further championship success still eluded. 
    There's a operational perspective that to succeed in modern F1, a team needs exclusivity when it comes to powertrain supply. Plausible concept wouldn't you think? McLaren subscribe to this ethos and managed to entice Honda back as their exclusive powertrain supplier. This subsequentially lured Alonso back in 2015. Honda have always entered F1 and left F1 when it suits and they always taste success, but they traditionally take time. Alonso's second stint at McLaren was blighted by an underpowered, unreliable Honda which culminated in Alonso frustratingly badging it a "GP2 engine" over the radio at Honda's home track during the Japanese GP. If you want evidence of Honda's success post McLaren, you only have to see what they've now achieved with Red Bull. Regarding Fernando, time for a sabbatical. The Indy 500 beckoned. A championship and two Le Mans 24 Hour victories with Toyota in the World Endurance Championship, and even a crack at the Dakar rally. A return to F1 in 2021 for his third tenure with the Renault group now under the guise of their Alpine brand only saw Alonso collect one podium in his two year stint. Which finally leads us to 2023. Fernando Alonso is an Aston Martin F1 driver.
    Canadian billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll acquired the old Jordan, then Midland, then Spyker, then Force India, then Racing Point team and rebadged it as Aston Martin F1. Mr Stroll recognised the team's heritage and potential and has invested astutely and reinvigorated the team. They've just moved into their new factory which was completely paid for before the implementation of the cost cap. It is now the benchmark standard with everything in house, including their own windtunnel and simulator. They've recruited wisely including hugely experienced Mike Krack as Team Principal and the widely regarded former Red Bull chief aerodynamicist Dan Fallows as Technical Director. Are all the ingredients now in place for Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin to succeed? 8 races into the 2023 season and positive results already seem to be coming to fruition. Alonso has tasted podium champagne on six occasions, eclipsing the 100 podium milestone. He's not won since he was at Ferrari way back in 2013 however. Will he add to his 32 victories with Aston Martin? Can Aston Martin end Red Bull's second dominant run in F1? Has Fernando Alonso finally found himself in the right place at the right time? 
    
    

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