Bell was introduced within the new function on Wednesday shortly after it emerged that he had left Alpine, the place he had been engaged on non-F1 tasks.
Alonso labored with Bell via his first two stints at Renault, together with his world championship-winning seasons in 2005 and 2006, when the Ulsterman was the technical director.
When Alonso returned to the renamed Alpine group in 2021, Bell was once more current within the Enstone camp as an advisor.
He has now taken up a newly-created function at an organisation that already had a robust technical construction in place.
“At all times when extra folks come to the group, there’s not likely any drawback, to be trustworthy,” mentioned Alonso when requested by Motorsport.com concerning the new arrival.
“There’s all the time a bonus. And the issue is to persuade everybody to work collectively as a group, and as a gaggle.
“So that is the function additionally of Martin [Whitmarsh], and the function of Lawrence [Stroll] as a frontrunner. I believe we now have an amazing technical group of individuals and nice management as nicely. So step-by-step, hopefully, creating an even bigger group.”
Bob Bell, Aston Martin Government Director – Technical
Picture by: Aston Martin
Requested about his earlier relationship with Bell, he mentioned: “Bob was taking a really completely different function again then, within the two championship years. Now he was extra into particular tasks [at Alpine], I understood.
“However that these sorts of senior function folks, they bring about all the time background data about learn how to run a aggressive group, and learn how to have construction within the manufacturing unit.
“So the contribution of Bob hopefully brings Aston into a greater stage, and that is the goal, so I am glad to welcome him.”
Relating to the group’s present kind, Alonso mentioned the group was higher in qualifying in Bahrain and worse within the race than has been anticipated, with the Spaniard slipping from sixth on the grid to ninth on the flag.
With team-mate Lance Stroll recovering from an early incident to complete tenth, the Silverstone group was clearly benchmarked as having the fifth-fastest automotive.
“In all probability it was a little bit of a shock how briskly we had been on Friday,” he mentioned. “And we had been actually stunned how far we had been on Saturday. So each methods in Bahrain [we] had been a bit bit one within the constructive manner, one within the detrimental.
“So we have to perceive what we will do higher, particularly for Sundays. We had been fifth quickest in Abu Dhabi [last year]. We stay fifth quickest in Bahrain. So roughly we made the identical progress as everybody within the winter, which perhaps was as anticipated.
“Now it is as much as us to essentially convey that tempo to the automotive in in a greater manner than what we did final yr. We discovered numerous issues. Hopefully we will apply these learnings into this yr.”
Nevertheless, he isn’t anticipating to see the group enhance on fifth place within the pecking order in Jeddah this week.
“The vehicles are an identical to Bahrain,” he mentioned. “I do know that there’s the necessity to speak concerning the efficiency, and the necessity to discuss one thing that may change the domination from Crimson Bull.
“However that is F1, this isn’t a easy sport. That is rather more sophisticated. I do not see any distinction from Bahrain to right here.
“Hopefully we see a greater end result from Aston Martin, we had been very quick final yr. So hopefully set-up sensible adaptation to the monitor will be higher than Bahrain. However we must be the fifth quickest group, I do not anticipate any miracle.”
Alonso says that Aston was worse off than rivals on tyre degradation in Bahrain, however he says will probably be much less of a problem for everybody in Saudi Arabia.
“There might be decrease degradation right here,” he mentioned. “Final yr it was one of many lowest degradation circuits of the calendar, Jeddah, just one cease within the earlier editions right here.
“So there might be much less degradation for everyone, however the higher automotive you have got, the extra downforce you have got, much less degradation, since you slide much less the tyres.
“So that is what we have to do, enhance the automotive, get extra grip, and the tyres will undergo much less.”
