Fernando Alonso is 41 years old. It’s hard to categorize him as a prodigy now, but at one time he was the quickest young thing Formula 1 had seen in a while. Now, with his move to Aston Martin in 2023, it seems like he has rolled back the years and caught up with some pretty special nostalgia.

Fernando Alonso didn’t waste any time getting into his role as the savior of Aston Martin’s F1 bid. He got headfirst into getting some action behind the Aston Martin soon after the Abu Dhabi GP concluded. According to him, as soon as he walked into the garage, he was struck by some crazy déjà vu!

Alonso was accompanied by Pedro de la Rosa, who is Aston Martin’s Team Ambassador, for his first test morning with the team. But as soon as they walked in together, they looked at what beheld them and realized something.

Alonso narrates, “We (him and Pedro de la Rosa) entered the garage this morning together and we saw the green car and we both said this is exactly as Jaguar in 2002!”  

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But what was so nostalgic about the whole situation? As it turns out, back in 2002, a young Fernando Alonso, with de la Rosa tested for Jaguar at Silverstone.

Fernando Alonso’s Jaguar test was a true testament to how sensational he was

It’s no secret now that Fernando Alonso is one of the greatest drivers to ever grace the Formula 1 grid. That being said, even in his very early days in the sport, he was defying how fast a certain F1 car was supposedly about to go.

In the test, he was faster than de la Rosa. But there was more to it than that for Alonso. After the test, he said, “Achieving the third fastest time when there were 16 cars on the track and in a car that is usually one of the slowest is something to be pleased about.” 

However, he was still committed strongly to Renault. He said, “At the moment, I am only thinking about Renault.”

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Fernando Alonso is fast approaching the end of his F1 career. Will Aston Martin be able to help him taste Championship glory, or at least some Formula 1 champagne?