Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso, the two-times F1 world champion, will leave Alpine at the end of this season after agreeing shock move to Aston Martin.

“No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me. Fernando Alonso is to join the Aston Martin Formula One team in 2023. Acknowledged as one of the most talented drivers of his generation, Alonso won his two titles in 2005 and 2006 with Renault but has failed to repeat the success.

Fernando Alonso has joined Aston Martin on a multi-year starting from the 2023 Formula 1 season.

At 41, it looks set to be one of Alonso’s final F1 moves, but the multi-year deal acts as a sign of his commitment to keep racing. “No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me. “This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to win, and it is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula One today,” said Alonso in a statement.

The Alpine driver will replace Sebastian Vettel, who announced he will retire from Formula One after the 2022 season.

Team principal Mike Krack said, in part, in a statement, “I have witnessed the excitement in the engineering team and throughout the whole organisation at the opportunity to work with Fernando. We know that nearly everyone can learn from someone of Fernando’s calibre and experience. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.” Aston Martin said this move “is a clear statement of intent from an organisation that has committed to developing a winning Formula One team.” We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance. “I have known Lawrence and Lance for many years and it is very obvious that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula One. Fernando Alonso announced he will join Aston Martin in 2023, and the team confirmed he is on a multiyear contract.

If you asked Alpine Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer at last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix if he'd have two-time champion Fernando Alonso in his ...

I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.” As for Alpine, this surprise departure opens up a lane for 21-year-old phenom and last season’s Formula 2 winner, Oscar Piastri, to be called up from his reserve driver role next season. And then we end up in some kind of unhappy place for everyone, or a happy place that everyone’s willing to sign.” After all, that ambition once convinced Vettel to come on board, too. Yet here we are on Monday, and Alonso has announced he’s headed elsewhere in 2023 — to Aston Martin, where he’ll take the seat that will be vacated by Sebastian Vettel. What happened? But there was an intriguing pause when he was asked about whether or not money was one of the chief areas that the two parties remained wide apart on.

Formula 1's driver market unexpectedly burst into life on Monday with the news that Fernando Alonso is to leave Alpine at the end of the season and join ...

Fernando hasn't been powered by Mercedes since he left McLaren the first time round under a bit of a cloud 15 years ago. "He's fit as a fiddle and he's into F1 as he ever was, his break refreshed him, and he's not running out of steam like Sebastian Vettel has. So the drivers Piastri was going to potentially replace can breathe a sigh of relief." And is that to suggest Alpine were never going to get there? That's why he chose to look elsewhere." Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz reacts to the totally out-of-the-blue announcement and what it means for all parties

Huh? What? Is Alonso's move upward, lateral or even downward? Our Bryce Kelly gives his thoughts.

It’s another suspect move for Alonso in a career full of them. He finished 17th in the championship in 2015. It seems like a pipe dream as Alonso hasn’t won a race since 2013! After issues with his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton, Alonso moved back to Renault and down the grid. Alonso then moved to Ferrari and came close, but never won a title with Ferrari as they lagged behind Red Bull between 2010-2014. He wanted a proven race winner and champion to help catapult his team up the grid.

It comes just days after Vettel announced his retirement from F1 ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso said: “This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the ...

Lawrence Stroll explained: “I have known and admired Fernando for many years and it has always been clear that he is a committed winner like me. Alonso had expressed an interest to continue in F1 but recently claimed he would not begin thinking about next season until the summer break. He added: “No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me.

Alonso will replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel next year after signing a multi-year deal despite having an Alpine contract extension offer on the table. In ...

"I believed that to be the case. Alonso is in the final year of his current Alpine deal but was discussing an extension. "So yes, the first confirmation I had was the press release.

Oscar Piastri has been confirmed at Alpine for the 2023 Formula 1 season, where the Australian will debut as Fernando Alonso's replacement.

"So yes, the first confirmation I had was the press release. I was confident that, even with the discussions, and there's nothing wrong with exploring, that we were very close [to a new deal]. He's mellowed a little these days but there could easily be fireworks as he joins the Stroll family 'firm'. Extraordinary." "We offered a one-plus-one deal. "Oscar is a bright and rare talent," said Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer. "We are proud to have nurtured and supported him through the difficult pathways of the junior formulae.

While Oscar Piastri seems to be the obvious choice, could Alpine call upon somebody else to replace Fernando Alonso for the 2023 Formula 1 season?

In that case, wouldn’t Ricciardo just be better off staying where he is for another year, if he is serious about his plans to continue completing in Formula 1? And secondly, would he really take a one-year deal with Alpine just to keep Piastri’s seat warm for 2024? His McLaren deal was confirmed even before his second season with Renault began, and let’s not forget that he gave up a Red Bull seat to join the French outfit.