Fernando Alonso reveals preparations done to present 'best version in 20 years' at Aston Martin 

Fernando Alonso has said that one of the major reasons for his high performance level this season is because of his preparations in 2021.

The Aston Martin driver was on a sabbatical from the sport after 2018 and made a return to F1 with Alpine in 2021. The Spaniard took some time to get used to the nitty gritty of the sport that evolves every year and was in top form by the end of it.

According to Alonso, he was on course to be ready to fight at the front with Alpine in 2022 when the regulations kicked in. With the car just not ready to fight at the front, the Spaniard decided to be prepared in the best way possible for Aston Martin in 2023.

Talking to SoyMotor at a recent book launch event, Alonso said:

“I have prepared well since the comeback with Alpine in 2021. I was waiting for the new rules to be closer to victories; it didn’t happen in 2022 with Alpine, but it was a year of preparing well.

"From the middle of the year, when I signed with Aston Martin, I started to think about Aston Martin, to prepare myself, to talk to the team, to prepare the car. It was like a personal thing; if I didn’t stay at Alpine, the best version of me in these 20 years in Formula 1 was going to be seen.”

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"Spain is very excited" - Fernando Alonso

With Fernando Alonso back fighting for podiums and possibly wins at the front of the grid, the popularity of F1 has seen a spike in Spain. Talking about the rejuvenation of the sport, Alonso said:

“I’m happy, and I know that in Spain, there is a lot of excitement at the start of the championship. I’m glad it’s like that. I haven’t been back to Spain since the beginning of January, so I’m looking forward to going back, but from what my family and Pedro (de la Rosa) tell me, Spain is very excited."

He added:

“It’s a bit of a shock that the generation that didn’t see me in 2005-2006, are getting excited, that they are so excited and believe in the fight for a victory or the World Championship, because they haven’t seen me and because we are not in that position yet.”

Fernando Alonso is third in the championship after securing consecutive P3 finishes in the first two races of the season.