Flavio Briatore says he spotted Aston Martin’s rise to shock competitiveness in Formula 1 ahead of time. He told Italy’s Il Riformista newspaper that he spotted Aston Martin’s likely leap up the F1 grid this year when Alonso, then driving for Alpine, came onto the market in 2022. “That’s why I encouraged Fernando to make the move to Aston Martin and now they are second in the constructors’ championship after five grands prix,” said Briatore. “Fernando and Aston Martin are the main surprise of this season because last year the team was not competitive,” he added. “They (Aston Martin) still performed well at the last race in Miami even though the track is not very suitable for their car,” Briatore continued.

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