Alpine admits fears Fernando Alonso would “wane” led to hesitancy in offering a new long-term contract in Formula 1.
At the start of the summer break, the double world champion surprised the paddock when Aston Martin announced him as their new driver for 2023, replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel.
Then in Belgium, Alonso explained how an initial 10-minute chat with Aston in Hungary led to a two-year deal being completed in just a few days.
Beforehand, however, the Spaniard insisted he was more than happy to stay at Alpine.
“I mean, that was my intention and I was not hiding that as well,” he admitted. “Every press conference that I did so far this year, I was quite clear that I was happy with the progress that we’re making as a team.
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“I mean, it has been an incredible journey for me to come back into the sport with Alpine which I consider, you know, my team, my family.
“We won so many things together and that will be part of our history, not only the Renault group history but also Fernando history, you know, what we achieved together.”
However, Alonso explained how the process of renewing his contract began to stall.
“I was happy but then for one reason or another, you know, we were not moving forward from [a] couple of months [ago] already,” he continued.
“It seems that it was a logical move to me because Aston was very willing to have me and trust in my abilities on the track and off track as well to develop the project.
“And yeah, in my case also, it felt that after all the negotiations and the months, having a seat available for a younger driver and talented driver like Oscar, it was the right thing to do and a win-win situation it seems for everybody.”
Alpine chief Otmar Szafnauer then revealed why the team was reluctant to bet on Alonso for its long-term future.
“I think that was the crux of going one-plus-one as opposed to two-plus-one or three-plus-one or three years,” he was quoted by The Race.
“There comes a time when something happens physiologically to a driver and you don’t have the same abilities you did when you were younger.
“I think it happened to Michael Schumacher. I think it’s fair to say Michael at 42 wasn’t the same driver he was at 32 or 35.
“So we are in favour of, yes, if you’re performing to the high level for sure, we’ll keep you. But let’s do it one year at a time – and I think he wanted a longer duration.”
As for whether he feels Alonso’s performance will start to fade, Szafnauer replied: “He’s a great, great driver – among the best I’ve worked with.
“He still is competing at a very high level, he’s still fast, in tricky conditions – which really show the driver’s skill – he’s even better and we saw that this year.
“If that continues for another three years, great – great for Aston and Fernando. I don’t know when that will wane.”
