Fernando Alonso given huge Aston Martin Christmas gift as F1 legend is handed luxury £250,000 SUV after joining team

FERNANDO ALONSO has been gifted a huge Aston Martin SUV for Christmas ahead of the 2023 Formula One season.

Alonso joined the British team after leaving Alpine and is already reaping the rewards without even taking to the track.

It comes after he was gifted a DBX 707, the luxury SUV worth £250,000 and has a top speed of 196mph.

Alonso tweeted: “Expectations were exceeded. Dream car."

The Spaniard spent two years with Alpine after initially joining the team for the 2021 season.

But the ex-Renault, McLaren and Ferrari driver left the French outfit at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign to join the Brit team.

Upon signing, he said: "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 added: "I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organisation that is committed to learn, develop and succeed.

"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.

"The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convinced me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport.

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"I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me."

Aston Martin executive chairman Lawrence Stroll - father of driver Lance - said he and Alonso shared the same "ambitions".

Stroll revealed: "I have known and admired Fernando for many years and it has always been clear that he is a committed winner like me.

"I have set out to bring together the best people and develop the right resources and organisation to succeed in this highly competitive sport, and those plans are now taking shape at Silverstone.

"It seemed natural therefore to invite Fernando to be part of the development of a winning team, and we very quickly established in our recent conversations that we have the same ambitions and values, and it was logical and easy to confirm our desire to work together."