Pedro de la Rosa, former driver of the highest category of motorsport, has signed as the new ambassador of Aston Martin.
As well as helping them work with media and marketing, he will also be involved in the Silverstone team’s young driver development programme.
The Spaniard anticipates the arrival of his compatriot, Fernando Alonso, who will drive for the British team next year, as a replacement for the retired Sebastian Vettel.
Although Alonso has a reputation for being a complicated and difficult driver to handle, de la Rosa assured that the reality is far from those rumours.
Having teamed up with Alonso during his spells at McLaren and Ferrari, the veteran former Spanish driver says his attitude is fueled by his competitive spirit.
Asked by Motorsport.com what his advice would be for Aston Martin when dealing with the Spaniard, de la Rosa said: “I don’t think Fernando [Alonso] is a difficult guy to deal with. He’s quite genuine, and very sincere”.
“The fact that English is not his first language means that he is sometimes a bit harsh when he tries to describe things. But he is very sincere. And what he tells you is what he feels about the car, about the team or about how To be competitive”.
“So as long as you tell him exactly what’s going on , and what the truth of the situation is, you’ll never have a problem with him .”
” The moment you try to hide any information from him or he feels like you’re trying to hide something, that’s where you’re going to have problems .”
“He is a very competitive person. That is the reality. If you are as competitive and sincere as he is, you will not have any problem with Fernando ,” de la Rosa added.
The former driver and now collaborator of Aston Martin has no doubt that Alonso will meet the expectations that are expected of him, since he remains 100% committed to succeed in the Great Circus.
“I’ve always said that there are three drivers who are very special when you talk about Formula 1, and I’m not going to say what names they are, but Fernando has always been there,” he said. “I have always said that Fernando is one of the best drivers in history, and when I said it a few years ago, everyone told me I was crazy.”
“But I’m still crazy because I think he’s unique, and he’s still very motivated: that it’s also a very, very, very important detail in the life of a Formula 1 driver, especially when you reach that age (40 years old).” .
“I’ve also been there at the age of 40, so I know a little about what it feels like. That’s why I think that Fernando arrives at the best moment of his career in terms of talent, at his peak of performance .”
Although De la Rosa has maintained a close relationship with Alonso since he left the category, he does not believe that his new role at Aston Martin is based on being a kind of ‘conductor’ between the Asturian driver and the team’s management.
“I’m coming in as an ambassador for the team, and for now there’s no plan to act as a liaison between the team and Fernando or any of the other drivers: Lance Stroll, Felipe Drugovich or whoever.”
“The biggest difference between my new role and the other roles I’ve had since I left Formula 1 is that I’m not going to be involved in the technical aspects or any decisions of that kind. That’s not part of the plan.
“Honestly, I don’t know where my role will evolve in the future. This is the first chapter of a book that I hope will be very, very big, full of interesting chapters,” de la Rosa concluded.
