This new version of the furor for Fernando Alonso in Formula 1 begins to discover singular characters that move around him. One of them is the red-haired Aston Martin mechanic who is crazy about his successes, Matt Watson.
Watson’s expressiveness has become very popular among F1 fans and especially on social networks, where he has become a phenomenon after each podium that the Asturian has achieved. Three races on the 2023 calendar and three podiums for Alonso.
Watson is one of the mechanics that makes up Aston Martin’s traveling staff, which usually moves 90 or 100 people to each grand prix. In addition to his duties as a mechanic, the famous redhead was in charge of one of the most important processes in the design of a racing car during the winter: creating the custom seat for the driver, in this case Alonso.
In a video from the British team, Matt Watson explains his work to develop the cockpit where the pilot is hermetically protected, the so-called ‘copkit’.
«I am Matt Watson, mechanic of the front of Fernando Alonso. We are fine-tuning his seat. We start every season, even if it’s with the same driver, with an initial fit, so if it’s the same driver as last year, you start with the basic bucket seat that you used last season, which is pretty tried and tested. “, Explain.
And he adds: “If he is a new pilot, like Alonso this time, we will start with a foam seat, which is poured into a bag, the pilot sits down and it molds to his body. This way sections can be carved, added or removed if necessary, to make sure the rider is really comfortable. Things like Alonso likes a lot of shoulder support, so we have pretty big shoulders. Lance’s seat will probably be quite different. From there, the foam we made is scanned and a carbon seat will be made.”
“We have his main race seat, which he will probably use for most of the season, but he will also have spare seats to be prepared in case there is an accident where a seat can be broken or if, on the contrary, he only he wants to change seats because he is getting a little tired, or something like that”, concludes the assistant.
Already from the first race on the calendar, in Bahrain, the networks were set on the mechanic. His popularity has grown since then, to the point that the FOM performance cameras that broadcast the races always look for him when they focus on the Aston Martin garage.
Fernando Alonso has achieved three consecutive podiums in the first three races of the championship, three third places established by law. In Bahrain, overtaking Russell, Hamilton and Sainz. In Saudi Arabia, behind the two Red Bulls of Checo Pérez and Max Verstappen, and in Australia, sharing the podium with Verstappen and Hamilton in a crazy race.