Aston Martin have had a short history in Formula 1 but have already attracted some of the biggest names in the sport to drive for them.
The names Roy Salvadori and Maurice Trintignant won’t mean much to many modern fans, but they both won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and raced for Aston Martin during their early forays into F1 in 1959 and 1960.
Trintignant is the only Ferrari driver to win an Formula 1 race using the number 44, something Lewis Hamilton will hope to change this season.
Aston Martin then returned to the paddock in 2021 after Lawrence Stroll’s takeover of the Racing Point team.
His son Lance Stroll has remained with the team ever since, but he’s had some impressive teammates in that time.
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was brought in from Ferrari for two seasons and achieved the team’s first podium at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Vettel was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for two races in 2022 but after his retirement, he was replaced by Fernando Alonso.
While Vettel was rejected a return to the F1 grid in 2025, Alonso is still very much going strong.
Sporting director Andy Stevenson was speaking to the Back at Base Podcast and has explained what sets Alonso apart from Vettel and any other driver he’s worked with at Aston Martin or the team’s previous guises.
Fernando Alonso is a ‘privilege’ to work with at Aston Martin ahead of record-breaking F1 season
Stevenson was asked the secret of Alonso’s longevity as he begins a record-breaking 22nd F1 season and said: “With Fernando, it’s firstly a love of the sport.
“You can see how passionate he is about motor racing. On his day off he goes motor racing, in the summer shutdown, he goes motor racing.
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“He’s always talking about driving his go-kart, so he’s very, very passionate about it but he’s also fiercely competitive.
“He’s brought a new edge to the team that we probably hadn’t seen before and he’s pushing us to be more competitive all the time.
“And his fitness, he works hard on his fitness, he actually works hard on everything and it’s an absolute pleasure and a privilege to work with him and learning from him every day.”
Stefano Domenicalli calls Fernando Alonso an ‘inspiration’ after Ferrari spell together
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was asked what Alonso has given to Formula 1 and whether he feels he’s an inspiration to the next generation of drivers.
He said: “I totally believe so. I mean Fernando, don’t get me wrong, maybe I don’t have the right numbers, but he’s won two world titles, for sure, more than 25 pole positions, a lot of fastest laps.
“I mean, he’s already of the books of Formula 1. But what is impressive is he’s a totally dedicated person to this sport.
“He loves racing, he loves Formula 1. He’s one of the oldest on the grid today, but he can be competitive for more than a couple of years.
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“He has this kind of fire within himself that means he’s looking for perfection.
“So, I know him quite well, I know that he’s now matured as a person and he’s totally involved in this project because he feels he has this chance with the right technical team to fight for the win in terms of the championship, so that’s an incredible mentality.
“He’s also involved in internal issues in terms of his colleagues within the team, and I think he’s still a very important reference within our world.”
Alonso has waited more than a decade to try and return to the top step of the podium in Formula 1.
There are very few in the sport who wouldn’t love to see him reach that level again, although time will eventually catch up with the 43-year-old even if his contract runs until the end of 2026.
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