Fernando Alonso claims he would be happy if Aston Martin start winning in Formula 1 even if he's not in their car anymore, and that contributing in that success is satisfying for him.
Alonso joins Aston Martin for the 2023 F1 season, replacing the retired Sebastian Vettel, and being 41 years old, he doesn't have all the time in the world as the team develop into a Championship contender and be able to reap the rewards of his hard work helping the team get there.
But Alonso claims he doesn't have to win with Aston Martin to be content, but the fact the he helped push the team towards success would be a good enough reward for him, also insisting he doesn't waste time thinking about the time when the team becomes a winning machine.
Speaking in an interview on the Aston Martin F1 Team official website, Alonso said: "I'm not thinking about timeframes and how long it will take the team to win races. I will take it race by race, season by season. What's important is that we keep making progress.
"We need to feel happy with each other and help each other: Aston Martin helping me to achieve the results and the targets that I have and me helping the team to progress every race, every year, to get closer and closer to the top positions," he added.
"I will use all my experience and all my knowledge to help the team shortcut the time that is needed to become World Champions. Will I be behind the steering wheel when that time comes? Nobody knows," Alonso mused.
Happy for Aston Martin to achieve success with Lance Stroll
"It's impossible to predict. But what is certain is that I will try my best," the 2005 and 2006 F1 Champion maintained.
"I will still be very proud if the team wins without me in the car," he went on. "I will be very proud of the process and my contribution to the project."
The Spaniard even claims he would be happy for Aston Martin to enjoy success at the hands of his teammate, Lance Stroll; he said: "In Lance, the team has a driver who is super young, super talented and has the possibility to be World Champion.
"To see him achieve that and have played a part in that, whether that's behind the wheel or not, will be special for me," Alonso insisted.
The veteran of 356 grands prix heaped praise on Stroll; he pointed out: "He has the speed, and he has the talent. He has shown it many times, especially in wet conditions.
"I remember Lance's pole position in Turkey and some of his other excellent performances in the wet; to perform at that level in difficult conditions you have to have a special feeling with the car," Alonso explained.
Aston Martin will launch their 2023 F1 car, the AMR23, with which Alonso and Stroll will contest the upcoming season on February 13, 2023.
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