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Fernando Alonso to join Aston Martin F1 team next season

LONDON — Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will extend his Formula One career by joining Aston Martin next season. The 41-year-old Spaniard will replace Sebastian Vettel, who announced his retirement last week. AlonsoÂ’s contract with Alpine was ending this season. Aston Martin said Monday that it signed Alonso to a multi-year deal. “No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me,” Alonso said of Aston Martin. “I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organization that is committed to learn, develop and succeed.” Alonso will be going into his 20th season in F1. He won his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006. He took two years off in 2019 and 2020 to race in other series, including runs at the Indy 500. “I have witnessed the excitement in the engineering team and throughout the whole organization at the opportunity to work with Fernando,” Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said. “We know that nearly everyone can learn from someone of FernandoÂ’s calibre and experience. We are confident that he will inspire everyone to lift their game.” Aston Martin, whose other driver is Lance Stroll, son of owner Lawrence Stroll, is only ninth in the 10-team constructorsÂ’ standings this season. Alonso said he knows Lance and Lawrence well and they share the same “ambition and passion to succeed” in F1. “We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance,” Alonso said. “The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.” Alpine has been improving in recent seasons and sits fourth in the constructorsÂ’ race. Alonso is 10th in the 20-driver standings. He joined Alpine in 2021 after his two-year break from the series. Related video: 2023 Aston Martin DBX707 walkaround

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Concorde Edition celebrates airspeed

This year is the 100th birthday of British Airways, as well as the 50th anniversary of the first flight for the Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde supersonic passenger jet. Today marks the 16th anniversary of the Concorde's final hop, when Concorde 216 registered as G-BOAF flew from Heathrow to Bristol, England, with 100 BA employees on board, to roll into a display space at the Aerospace Bristol museum. That same plane was the last Concorde built, coming off the line in 1978 at BAC Filton Bristol. To celebrate the plane and BA and its aerospace neighbor, Aston Martin Bristol commissioned 10 special editions called the DBS Superleggera Concorde. Pieced together with the expertise of Q by Aston Martin, the coupe is the latest in Aston Martin's aviation-inspired Wings Series specials, following the Vanquish S Red Arrows Edition, Vantage Blades Edition, and V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80. Dressed in white, the coupe gets ornament in British Airways livery colors on the front splitter, roof strake, rear spoiler, rear diffuser, and inside the Aston Martin wings badge. A Concorde graphic decorates the black, carbon fiber roof, and a Concorde-shaped chunk of solid aluminum streaks through the side strakes. The British Airways "Speedmarque" logo is on the front fender above the black enamel Q by Aston Martin badge, the rear fenders wearing registration G-BOAF.    Printed Alcantara on the Superleggera's cockpit headliner displays a sonic boom graphic, the front visors get mach meter graphics, the front seats show off Concorde and Speedmarque logos. Pieces of titanium compressor blades from the supersonic bird have been turned into paddle shifters, and embossed solid aluminum seatbelt buckles shine the Concorde again. The floor mats adopt a design by Sir Terence Conran, he being one of three designers commissioned to upgrade the Concorde's interior not long before the jet went out of service. The 5.2-liter V12 engine holds steady at 710 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, plenty of thrust for booming travel on the ground. Aston Martin Bristol says it will donate part of the proceeds from each sale to the Air League Trust, a nonprofit that teaches underprivileged children how to fly and helps open doors for them into engineering professions.

Final Spectre trailer drops, still looks awesome

Well, here we are. After all the teasers, behind-the-scenes photos and videos, and wrecked Aston Martins, we have the final trailer for the newest James Bond flick, Spectre. Through all the leaks and other trailers, we've got a pretty good idea as to how many vehicular set pieces there will be when Spectre hits trailers. Obviously, the premiere spot will be the chase between 007's Aston Martin DB10 and the Jaguar C-X75 of baddy Mr. Hinx, while there looks to be a wintry exchange featuring a Range Rover Sport SVR, some Defenders, and a plane. This trailer also shows some kind of pickup truck – we're guessing it's a Toyota Hilux – t-boning an older Jaguar XJ, which we think is new footage. Of course, there's a lot more action beyond the automotive variety. There's a helicopter sequence, gunfights, a building collapse, and we get our very best look at the film's main villain, played by a Max von Sydow/Blofeld-channeling Christoph Waltz. Check out the trailer, available at the top of the page. Spectre hits US theaters on November 6.