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Surer on Alonso's form: 'The clock is ticking'

Surer on Alonso's form: 'The clock is ticking'

05-08-2022 19:52 Last update: 20:36
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GPblog.com

Formula One expert Marc Surer understands why Alpine wanted to give Fernando Alonso only a one-year contract and not a multi-year contract like the Spaniard recently signed with Aston Martin.

On Monday it was announced that Alonso will make the switch from Alpine to Aston Martin next winter. At Aston Martin, Alonso will succeed Sebastian Vettel. The four-time world champion announced late last week that he is leaving Formula 1 after fifteen years.

Not much time left

The German analyst thinks that Alonso does not have much time left in the king class of motorsport, despite his multi-year contract. He thinks the clock is ticking for Alonso and may be able to continue in this form for another year or two and it will wear off with time, Surer explains in a new video on Formel1.de's YouTube channel 

Surer also suspects that a driver loses a few hundredths of a second a year, but it is compensated by the commitment and experience of the Spanish world champion.

He thinks that a one-year contract with an option might have been "not enough" for the 41-year-old, as Alonso himself realizes that he is getting older and the chances of driving for another team are getting smaller. Secondly, the analyst says that Alpine is stagnant and the French team does not seem to be on the rise. This is in contrast to Aston Martin who, with new people, are hoping for an upward trend.

World Cup not possible for Alonso at Aston Martin

But even if Aston Martin does make progress, Surer does not believe the team has a chance of becoming world champions by the end of 2025. Alonso will be 44 years old by then and has also seen how long it takes other teams to make strides.