Flavio Briatore, former team boss of Renault and current manager of Fernando Alonso, encouraged his former pupil to go to Aston Martin. The acquisition of two key figures from Red Bull Racing and Mercedes was decisive for the Italian top executive and ultimately also for Alonso.
The two-time world champion had an expiring contract with Alpine, which only wanted to extend the agreement for one year. Alonso needed more certainty and therefore went to Aston Martin, which also made a big move by acquiring Dan Fallows and Eric Blandin from Red Bull Racing and Mercedes, respectively. In addition, the facilities at the home base in Silverstone are being heavily invested in.
"That's why I encouraged Fernando to make the switch to Aston Martin and now they are second in the constructors' championship after five Grands Prix," Briatore tells Il Riformista. The Italian considers Alonso the surprise of the season, given that Aston Martin could hardly be considered competitive until last season. This is different this year with four podium finishes in the first five races.
Briatore also comments on the title race. Earlier, the former team boss of Benetton and Renault did not want to rule out Alonso as a contender, but it is now clear that Max Verstappen is the favorite. "Red Bull Racing is driving in a separate championship. Verstappen has the strength and style, the world championship already belongs to him. They work together at Red Bull and have a genius in Adrian Newey. That's why they are so strong."