Alpine boss, Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that first he knew of Fernando Alonso‘s shock swap to Aston Martin for 2023 was when he learn the press launch.
Coming every week after the two-time world champion claimed that remaining with Alpine was a “precedence”, Monday’s press launch from Aston Martin got here as a lot of a shock to the French staff as the remainder of us.
“It was the primary affirmation I had,” Szafnauer admitted to reporters on a Zoom name.
“Clearly, after we’re within the paddock, there’s all types of rumours, and I had heard rumours that Aston have been ,” he continued. “When you hear that they are , there’s most likely discussions that happened.
“However I used to be assured that, even with the discussions, and there is nothing improper with exploring, that we have been very shut.
“So sure, the primary affirmation I had was the press launch,” he admitted. I did ask the query (to the Spaniar), and I used to be informed: ‘No, no, I have not signed something’. So I used to be a bit stunned.
“We provided a one plus one deal,” he revealed, that means that along with 2023, there could be an possibility for 2024 additionally, “and we mentioned with Fernando that: ‘Look, if subsequent 12 months right now you are performing on the identical degree, in fact, we’ll take you and that might have carried on’.
“However I believe he wished extra certainty unbiased of efficiency,” mentioned Szafnauer. “‘I need to keep for longer’, and I believe that was the crux of the going one plus one versus two plus one or three plus one or three years.”
This explains that lack of any announcement concerning Oscar Piastri from the French staff, most of us underneath the impression that Alonso had successfully jumped earlier than being pushed.
Nonetheless, including to the intrigue is speak that Piastri’s administration, which incorporates Mark Webber, is in no rush to take the second Alpine seat and is as an alternative eyeing Daniel Ricciardo‘s seat at McLaren.
“Oscar and his camp are contemplating their choices, no matter meaning,” mentioned Szafnauer. “I have been attempting to pay money for Mark and wrote some textual content messages and a few emails to him, as properly.
“If everyone seems to be true to the agreements that they signed again only some months in the past, we should always be capable to transfer ahead with the agreements that now we have in place,” mentioned Szafnauer.
Since profitable the F2 title final 12 months, Piastri has accomplished over 2000 miles of testing for Alpine, and aside from additional assessments can be set to make his FP1 debut at Spa.
Confirming that there was a “important quantity of funding” within the Australian, Szafnauer provides: “It is greater than only a monetary funding, it is also an emotional one and getting him prepared for what we hope is a profitable Formulation 1 profession.
“Not each Formulation 1 staff does that for an academy driver that is come by means of, however we have chosen to do this to get him prepared. And we have solely carried out that with a view of getting him race right here sooner or later. We would not have carried out that if the view was to get him ready for certainly one of our opponents.
“We have to now progress this,” he admitted. “This solely occurred yesterday. It is now Tuesday, so we’ll sit down after which progress what our future driver line-up’s going to be. I might think about the alternatives are completely different now.”
