Fernando Alonso to make Aston Martin F1 debut this month

Fernando Alonso will make his debut for Aston Martin F1 after the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP. The two-time world champion will join the team in place of the outgoing Sebastian Vettel next year but will participate in the first Pirelli tire test with the Silverstone-based team.

The test takes place on the Tuesday after the final race of the season and usually sees drivers who change teams for the following year get their first taste of their new teams. Drivers, however, are required to partake in the tests in unbranded or neutral overalls.

Nyck de Vries will drive for AlphaTauri, while Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso will drive for Alpine and Aston Martin respectively. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson is expected to replace Max Verstappen for the first practice of the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP. Verstappen has already secured the 2022 championship and as a result, will not be negatively affected if things go wrong for Lawson in the Red Bull.

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Fernando Alonso was surprised to find his car still working after crash in Austin

Fernando Alonso revealed that he was surprised to find that his car was still working after the massive crash he had with Lance Stroll during the 2022 F1 United States Grand Prix. The Spaniard said that the impact he felt was not too hard but he was rather worried about the condition of the car. After checking his car on the pitstop and changing the front wing, he said that it felt fine and okay to drive behind the safety car.

Speaking during a press conference ahead of the 2022 F1 Mexican GP, he said:

"I was concerned that the car was not damaged, you know, somehow because they changed the tyres, the front wing, and apparently there was no damage when they checked on the pitstop. And the car felt good, more or less, behind the Safety Car. So I was amazed."

The Spaniard recovered in classic Alonso style, finishing the race in P7 despite his massive 42G impact earlier in the race. The world champion, however, claimed that making up places after his crash was 'mentally challenging'. He added:

"We were just recovering places up to P7, so it felt very good. It was mentally challenging to go through every lap and make some moves as well."

With the two-time world champion having secured his future in the sport with Aston Martin F1 in 2023 and beyond, fans of the Spaniard can hope for more exciting finishes from the former Renault driver.