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Red Bull’s Paul Monaghan believes Fernando Alonso still has what it takes to dominate in Formula 1, if given the right tools.
Monaghan has been with Red Bull for the last 20 years but, prior to this, put in a stint at Benetton/Renault which saw him briefly serve as Alonso’s race engineer during the 2003 season.
Paul Monaghan: Fernando Alonso is still relentless
Alonso’s career trajectory has taken him through some of Formula 1’s biggest teams, albeit usually at a point in time when that team wasn’t performing at a world championship-winning level.
Now 43-years-old, Alonso is still seeking to add to the two world titles he won with Renault in 2005 and 2006, and is on a long-term contract with the Silverstone-based Aston Martin squad.
It’s more than 10 years since Alonso won a Grand Prix, although he took multiple podiums during a very competitive 2023 season as the AMR23 proved a potent machine in his hands.
Aston Martin has been going through a period of strengthening under Lawrence Stroll’s ownership, with multiple high-profile engineering signings to go alongside a complete refresh of the team’s facilities at its Silverstone campus.
With a brand-new wind tunnel coming online, and the likes of former Ferrari technical chief Enrico Cardile partnering up with former Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey, the stars appear to be aligned for Aston Martin to come good at some point – perhaps while Alonso is still racing.
If Aston Martin does manage to create a world championship-challenging machine, Monaghan believes Alonso will have no problems rising to the challenge of a title fight with younger guns like Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, or Lewis Hamilton.
“He is relentless enough. If you give him the chance of a win, he’s not going to screw up, don’t worry,” Monaghan told Spain’s DAZN.
“He was so calm when he was leading his first win in Hungary [2003], nothing bothered him
