New Aston Martin looks like a ’fast car’ - Ocon

Fernando Alonso’s former teammate thinks the two-time champion could have a "very fast car" on his hands in 2023.

Last year, Alonso was paired at Renault-owned Alpine by Frenchman Esteban Ocon - who actually beat the Spaniard in the world championship standings.

But Alonso, 41, elected to leave Alpine to join what he describes as the "more ambitious" Aston Martin project.

Ocon, whose new teammate is fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly, agrees that Aston Martin has been talking up its chances of a big step forward in 2023.

"Everyone is talking about them," he said.

"I don’t know if it’s the ’Fernando effect’ or if they will be faster, but it looks like a very fast car when you look at its aerodynamics from the outside," Ocon, 26, is quoted by El Mundo Deportivo.

He revealed a few days ago that he battled with a virus for much of the winter period.

"For a month and a half, I basically couldn’t work out," said Ocon. "I feel good now but these viruses are very powerful and we need to be careful with them.

"Even when I was walking, my heart rate was going off the scale. For a long time, I was quite worried."

What Ocon insists he is not worried about is his new working relationship with Gasly - despite the pair reportedly not getting along personally in the past.

"You like this story. Story of the year!" Ocon laughed.

"It hurts me to disappoint you, but there is no story. There will be no headlines about this."

27-year-old Gasly, who arrives from Red Bull and Alpha Tauri, agrees: "Things are going very well.

"We have spoken more in recent months than in the last 8 to 10 years."