Aston Martin has experienced monumental financial gains on the back of Fernando Alonso’s stellar start to the 2023 campaign, with the manufacturer said to have already recouped over 16 times the Spaniard’s salary in sales.
Apart from the windfall through selling 300-400 Vantage F1 edition models, the Lawrence Stroll-led consortium has managed to earn an extra £63.7 million ($80m) through safety car appearances as well.
Starting from 2021, F1 safety cars were provided by Aston Martin, who began to share the responsibility with Mercedes-Benz.
“There’s an expression, I didn’t believe it but we’re actually experiencing it: race on Sunday, sell on Monday. Sounds like a small number, but for a company of our size it’s relatively important,” Stroll said.
While Alonso’s salary has not been disclosed publicly, it is believed that the two-time world champion pockets around £4 million ($5m) as basic pay in 2023.
For all those who claim that Alonso is only in it for the cash, it is worth noting that he has taken a significant cut on what was estimated to be a £16 million ($20m) wage at Alpine last season.
Interestingly, Alonso currently is at par with Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen in terms of salary.
While Alonso’s base salary may not be all that great compared to the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, Spanish publication AS claims that through bonuses, the Aston Martin driver is set to pocket around £17.8m at his new team.
The newspaper further suggests that Alonso has a clause in his contract that allows him to walk away from the team at the end of the season.
While Alonso’s salary is not as good as it once was, he still earns more than double what his teammate Lance Stroll is believed to pocket (£1.6m).
Based on Alonso’s reported remuneration, Aston Martin has already recouped 16 times his basic pay through safety car appearances.
Alonso left Alpine at the end of last season as he did not “agree on principles” at the French outfit.
The fact that Aston Martin was so relentless in its pursuit of signing him meant that he finally caved in to sign a deal that did not seem all that lucrative on paper.
“It’s not only what you agree in terms of duration of the contract, it is also the trust that you feel and how you feel wanted in a place — you know and if it was just a temporary thing or facts on a timed watch that they are happy with,” Alonso said.
“It was always a strange feeling and, as I said, I felt like it was the right decision to move to Aston because they seemed to really want me and appreciate every performance I put in in the last few years.”
In hindsight, it is perhaps one of the best moves Alonso has made in his entire career, with four podiums already in his pocket.
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