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Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer shockingly admitted that he found out about Fernando Alonso's decision to sign a multi-year contract with Aston Martin in a press release. He also revealed that prior to the announcement, he was "confident" that the Spaniard would be signing a contract extension with Alpine, especially given that Alonso allegedly completely denied having signed any contract.
Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend, Szafnauer spoke to select publications, including Sportskeeda, where he expressed confidence in Alonso staying with the team.
As reported by Motorsport, when asked about how he found out about Fernando Alonso's deal with Aston Martin, Szafnauer said:
“It was the first confirmation I had. Obviously, when we’re in the paddock, there’s all sorts of rumours, and I had heard rumours that Aston [Martin] were interested. Once you hear that they’re interested, there’s probably discussions that took place and there’s some other indications that discussions took place, like walking out of the same motorhome at the same time, all that kind of stuff, which I saw.’’
He continued:
“But I was confident that, even with the discussions, and there’s nothing wrong with exploring, that we were very close. So yes, the first confirmation I had was the press release. I did ask the question [to Alonso]. And I was told: 'No, no, I haven’t signed anything.' So I was a bit surprised.”
Fernando Alonso "wanted more certainty" from Alpine, reveals team boss
Otmar Szafnauer revealed that Alpine offered Fernando Alonso a contract for 2023 as well as the option to continue for the 2024 season, although the two-time world champion desired a longer-term deal that offered him more certainty.
As reported by the BBC, Szafnauer said:
“We offered him a one-plus-one deal. We discussed with Fernando, 'Look, if next year at this time you’re performing at the same level, of course we’ll take you.' But he wanted more certainty: 'Independent of performance, I want to stay for longer.' That was the crux of going one-plus-one as opposed to two-plus-one or three-plus-one or three years. There does come a time when something happens physiologically and you don’t have the same capabilities as when you were younger.”
Drawing comparisons to seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, he added:
“It happened to Michael Schumacher at 42 - he was not the same driver as at 32 as 35. It happens in cricket, which is a far less physical sport. And it happens to racing drivers, too. So we were in favour of yes, if you’re performing at a high level we’ll keep you. But let’s do it one year at a time.’’
Fernando Alonso has had one of the most celebrated careers in F1, and continues to grow his legacy within the sport. As the oldest driver on the grid, the Alpine driver is set for a new adventure with Aston Martin from the 2023 season, where he will be replacing Sebastian Vettel, who recently announced that he will be retiring from the sport at the end of the season.
