Ex-Ferrari driver backs Fernando Alonso to succeed at Aston Martin after shock switch

Former Formula 1 driver Jean Alesi backs Fernando Alonso to still challenge for an F1 title at Aston Martin.

With Sebastian Vettel's unexpected retirement from F1 at the end of this season, Aston Martin confirmed that Alonso would be leaving Alpine and joining them for the 2023 season onwards.

Despite being 41-years-old, Alonso is showing no signs of slowing down, and Alesi believes if the Aston Martin car is good enough, then the Spanish two-time F1 champion can still be successful in the pinnacle of motorsport.

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A fighter

Alesi recalled an example of Alonso's longevity in the sport in an interview with Give Me Sport, "I'll tell you a story," Alesi said.

"I was in Hockenheim (2001), and at the time, we had the long circuit; it was not the Hockenheim we have now. We had these long straights going into the forest, so, of course, we had the stadium section with all the public and then for a long time, you were in the forest with no public.

"So, he was next to me [on the drivers' parade] and suddenly at the end of the forest was one fan with a sign saying 'Happy Birthday Fernando.' And so I turned to him and said, 'Fernando, is it your birthday?' And I ask him how old he is and he says '20-years-old!'

"So that is my memory of him, and to see the career he has had, it's just amazing. What a fighter. I mean this guy, when you see drivers like him, you're happy to pay the ticket."

Showing ambition

The 58-year-old Alesi, who raced at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and Ferrari, said what he thinks got Alonso interested in joining Aston Martin was that they clearly showed him they had big ambition.

"I understand there is a new