There was no iconic helmet – after running a Sebastian Vettel replica in Sunday’s race Alonso was using a dazzle design – but even just the number on the car told you all you needed to know and created that little bit of a buzz that only something fresh and new can.
It was a similar case in Alonso’s old car, as Pierre Gasly got down to business – in a fairly similar helmet design I must add – with Alpine. It was perhaps even more strange seeing the Frenchman in anything other than a Red Bull-backed setting, as Alonso has driven for so many teams but Gasly was getting a completely fresh start that left him beaming at the end of the day’s running.
Maybe that was a case of relief having felt his career was stagnating at AlphaTauri, but it’s surely nothing compared to what Oscar Piastri (the first choice for Gasly’s Alpine seat) must have been feeling. The young Australian had his integrity questioned but ended up comfortably on the right side of any contract disputes when he was signed by McLaren, yet had a long and at times awkward wait to start work with his new team.