Fernando Alonso had to race completely unbranded for his first run for Aston Martin F1 at the 2022 Abu Dhabi F1 testing.
F1’s post-season testing has a unique double effect, as it wraps up the current season and provides a preview of next year. Especially when the drivers change teams, it’s especially fun when they appear with new cars and colors.
Fernando Alonso did it in an extreme way. Aston Martin had to run it completely off-brand.
It also showed when Fernando Alonso had his first test at McLaren after the 2006 season, but it’s a very rare sight.
Earlier this year the Haas F1 Team stripped the car of its livery but for a completely different reason. Removed Uralkali sponsorship on final day of testing in Barcelona.
But unlike Haas’ decision, Fernando Alonso’s AMR22 was due to how bizarre the team’s early transfer rules were.
Fernando Alonso drove the 2022 Aston Martin car in the first five hours of Tuesday’s Abu Dhabi testing before officially joining the team in 2023. And the first thing anyone noticed when Alonso showed up on the track was that the AMR22 was shown in a purely basic color scheme, without sponsor logos or even the little Union Jack that usually adorns the tip of the nose.
The car only sported a small Pirelli sticker, an Aston Martin badge and the car number of Fernando Alonso, who wore black racing overalls and a neutral helmet.
This is because Fernando Alonso is licensed to drive for Aston Martin, but is still under contract to the Alpine F1 team, so he is not allowed to promote competing brands or their sponsors. .
It’s a shame for the brand, as it would be a nice marketing boost to see photos of Fernando Alonso in an Aston Martin car circulating ahead of the car’s launch and pre-season testing.
“It’s a good point of view,” said Pedro de la Rosa, Aston Martin ambassador and longtime friend of Fernando Alonso.
“Unfortunately yes. But in the coming years there will be many photos of Fernando. Let’s hope it’s a full brand car!”
“Whatever it is, I think it’s really good to have Fernando in the car, it’s great to start working today on what the team might want in the future.”
“So all in all, I think it’s a win-win situation, and I’m sure it will be a big surprise when we finally get the marque’s car.”
Pedro de la Rosa replies: not being able to showcase Alonso on behalf of the sponsors is a small price to pay to start ahead in 2023.
However, having to remove the sticker from the entire car is actually a very extreme manifestation.
Drivers have to meet certain conditions to be released early to test for another team, and the usual variations were seen in this very test.
Ironically, given the acerbity of his departure from Alpine F1, the cleanest looking was McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. He is now fully contracted to McLaren, so he could be fully kitted out in team gear for his first official day of racing in the MCL36 in 2022.
Other drivers either didn’t have quite as much freedom or were simply under-equipped.
At Haas F1 Team, Nico Hulkenberg was released from his duties as Aston Martin’s reserve driver and wore the team’s racing suit, but drove wearing only a plain white helmet.
Still officially a Mercedes driver, Nick de Vries made his AlphaTauri debut wearing a simple race suit. He neither he responded to the media at the end of the day.
Pierre Gasly wore plain overalls despite having an Alpine sponsor sticker on his helmet. The answer is… I don’t know. After that, Pierre Gasly said he was essentially an Alpine driver, barring the definitive contract with Red Bull and Alpha Tauri, without a clear explanation.
Category: F1 / Fernando Alonso / aston martin
