Fernando Alonso wants 4 engines from Aston Martin in 2023 season after Alpine woes

Fernando Alonso may have already laid out his terms and conditions before the 2023 season commences, according to reports by The Objective.

The Spanish publication claims the two-time world champion has already made requests for a specific engine strategy for himself, where he gets the privilege of having four engines for his perusal.

Reporting on the request made by Alonso to his new team, the report said:

“One of his [Fernando Alonso's] first requests to the team has been to have from the beginning not the three engines assigned per car, in a regulated manner, but four. The so-called 'pool race', a kind of virtual shelf where the three planned propellants are placed, is limited by regulations to this trio of units. Until 2018, Formula 1 allowed the use of up to five engines per car per season, but since that year they have been limited to three."

"The final idea is none other than to put an end to the waste of the most expensive piece of the anatomy of single-seaters. In the event that the three assigned break, lose effectiveness or reach the limit of their useful life, you can always mount one more. The problem is that the driver who uses some extra will lose between five and fifteen places on the grid depending on the number of parts he replaces, achieving the position he achieves in the qualifying round on Saturday."

"The Asturian has already taken stock, and knows that it will be very difficult to run the entire season with only three engines. In his personal strategy he wants to have at least those four engines from the beginning, and take the sanctions when strategically it suits him best.”

According to reports, Fernando Alonso wants to have four engines assigned to his engine pool, despite the legal limit being three engines per driver for an entire season. Anticipating a long calendar, the Spaniard has suggested the team should allot him an extra engine which he can use to strategize during the season as per his preference.

The Spanish publication reported that the 41-year-old already had his list of requests ready before setting foot with the team in January. Reliability issues meant he was forced to use six engines in the 2022 season with Alpine. With an ambitious goal of winning his third Formula 1 world title, the Asturian driver has already started strategizing his 2023 season.

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Mercedes engine supply might affect Fernando Alonso the most

Fernando Alonso is a two-time F1 world champion.

Formula 1 journalist Jose M Zapico reported that the financial limitations on engine suppliers in 2023, particularly Mercedes, might lead to customer teams using 2022 engine parts.

Writing for Motor Es, the Spanish journalist suggested that Mercedes will recycle its 2022 parts for their 2023 engines in the factory and for their customer teams, which means Aston Martin will be second in preference for the engines as a customer.

According to the report, despite Aston Martin being on priority after the factory team (Mercedes), Fernando Alonso will be second on the priority list at the team for the engines, with the team owner's son Lance Stroll ahead of him in the queue.

Explaining the challenges faced by Fernando Alonso in 2023, Zapico said:

“This 2023 opens a new chapter in the section on financial limitations that directly affect engines. In the plan related to the engines, they must undergo a planned expense of around 95 million euros for the three remaining seasons before reaching 2026, at a rate of around thirty per year; This is the idea."

"Anything that falls outside of this calculation will upset any forecast, with the risk of falling into the feared excess stipulated. In addition, a materials re-administration system has been developed, so that in 2023 we will see engines with used parts in 2022. Seals, nuts, washers, or parts of greater value than due to the material with which they are built or assigned function, have not reached the end of their mechanical life, they will go to new engines if they pass the quality control and state examination."

"Obviously, the engines that release a greater number of components will go to the parent team, and it will be the customers who receive new engines, with used clothing from their older brothers. The most worn-out engines in testing… you guessed it, they go to customers; the least exposed to use are kept by Mercedes. The difference between all of them is minimal, but there is always some. Sometimes they do not provide the estimated power, and if they fall too far from the range, they are usually discarded; there is no strict guideline, but it occurs about one in four times.”

Fernando Alonso will be hoping that his woes with technical issues are behind him as he embarks on a new journey with Aston Martin in 2023;