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Earlier this month, Fernando Alonso confirmed that he will be replacing Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin in the 2023 season, rather than extending his existing contract with Alpine.
Fans were left perplexed by the Spaniard's decision to move to a team that is performing at a significantly lower level than the French outfit, with several accusing him of prioritizing money over actual racing.
Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll is a part-owner of the Aston Martin team. His son, Lance Stroll, has always been criticized for being a pay driver, despite his performance on the track. In line with this, fans suspect that the only possible reason Fernando Alonso could have for a move to Aston Martin, rather than staying with Alpine, that is currently leading the midfield in the constructors' standings, is a significant pay hike.
Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer previously also insinuated that a higher pay was offered by Aston Martin. He said:
“A two-year contract, although it was one plus one. I think one of the keys for Fernando was the extension of the contract. He’s performing at a very high level and I told him that if he continued at that level, next year we would surely continue, we would be crazy not doing it. But, as for everyone in life, there comes a time when age affects your psychological abilities, your eyes, your brain, your muscles, your nervous system. We offered him more money than we paid him now, which is logical. It was a figure that at the beginning he tried to negotiate, as everyone does, but in the end, we reached an agreement, formally. I’ve heard rumours that he’s been given a very high offer. I don’t know if it has been a decisive factor - ask him.”
It is clear that the two-time world champion was seeking a long-term contract rather than the one-plus-one that Alpine was willing to offer. One, however, cannot say with full confidence whether it was the pay, the certainty, or the pure expected potential of the team that motivated Fernando Alonso to make this shocking move.
Fans criticize Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin move
Alpine hope to replace Fernando Alonso with the "absolute best driver"
With Fernando Alonso parting ways with Alpine, the team hopes to secure a driver who will help in taking the team back to their winning days to partner Esteban Ocon.
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer said:
“In the short term, we have to replace Fernando with the absolute best driver. But what we mustn’t forget is we have a 100-race plan to start winning races and vying for a championship. We’re over 10 races into that, so we have got 88-89 races to do that.”
“We’ve got to make sure that we complement that plan with the best driver that we can. And there are some options out there for us. And we put the best driver next to Esteban [Ocon], so we can move forward towards what we’ve been planning.”
Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly are two drivers who are rumored to have taken Fernando Alonso's seat at Alpine if Oscar Piastri makes his F1 debut with McLaren.
