Fernando Alonso’s ‘on-brand’ sanitiser impresses fans during Aston Martin visit

Meticulous Fernando Alonso left nothing to chance as he paid his first visit to Aston Martin’s Silverstone base, including packing ‘on-brand’ sanitiser.

The double F1 world champion has swapped Alpine for Aston Martin for 2023 after the Renault-owed team dallied over the length of the 41-year-old’s contract. Aston, owed by new teammate Lance Stroll’s billionaire father Lawrence, had no such concerns over the Spaniard’s age, handing him a two-year deal.

Given Alonso’s track record for making poor career decisions, his spell with Aston, and in particular his relationship with Stroll senior, a notoriously hard task-master, will be one of the most fascinating subplots of the season.

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But it is all smiles so far at the Aston factory, which is across the road from the British Grand Prix venue. The team has shared a video of Alonso visiting the factory for the first time.

There were warm hugs all round, including with one of his former McLaren bosses, Martin Whitmarsh, now Aston Martin’s chief executive. Alonso also had a seat-fitting and spent time in the simulator as the team builds up to testing in Bahrain at the end of February.

Eagle-eyed fans spotted that Alonso remains the consummate perfectionist, with a mini bottle of hand sanitiser strapped to his rucksack which even matched the brand colours of the team – green.

“Even the hand sanitiser is on brand,” quipped one fan. The upbeat video left Alonso and Aston fans feeling confident ahead of the season when they will expect to move up the field after finishing a disappointing seventh in the constructors’ championship in 2022.

How will Alonso and Aston Martin fare this season? Tell us in the comments section below

“There has been a lot of positive energy since Alonso's arrival, so let's hope everything else falls into place perfectly so that history can be written,” wrote one.

Another said: “He actually looks so happy… bring on the new season!" Another added: “I’m getting a good vide here! Maybe, just maybe something really special is about to happen.”

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