Fernando Alonso has finally broken thes silence on his relationship with his former team, Alpine (formerly Renault). The Spaniard had two different stints with the team. The first one in the early 2000s was fairly successful as he won his two championships with the French outfit. However, his latest stint with the team in the last two seasons was much below expectations as he just managed one podium finish. Despite the struggles Alonso faced with Alpine, he revealed in a recent interview with GQ Magazine that he has nothing but respect for his former side.
“I have a lot of respect for Alpine. It’s the team [as Renault] that gave me my two world championships, so it’ll always be in my heart. I will never wish anything bad to [them],” explained the 42-year-old. However, Alonso did admit that since he is now at Aston Martin, he will never want Alpine to finish above them.
The Spaniard said that he would ideally “have Aston Martin winning and Alpine second” to reassure himself that he made the right choice to move to the Silverstone-based outfit this season. “If they’re behind you, there’s always a bit of relief that you made the right decision“, he explained.
However, it is important to note that Alonso did have a fallout with the French outfit that resulted in him seeking a move elsewhere. While speaking on the El Larguero podcast (as quoted by si.com) last month, Alonso explained how he noticed Alpine having a “bit of lack of professionalism“.
The Spaniard revealed that even though he had finalized a verbal agreement with Alpine over an extension, he never received the papers. As a result, he decided to move to Aston Martin, who were very prompt in getting back to him.
Aston Martin’s performances in 2023 suggest Fernando Alonso made the right choice
Fernando Alonso seemingly made the right choice to move to Aston Martin this season as the Silverstone-based outfit have been outstanding despite their recent slump. In comparison to the one podium he clinched at Alpine over two seasons, the 42-year-old has already finished on the podium on eight occasions alone this year.
Moreover, the points difference between Alonso and the Alpine drivers this season is also a clear reflection of how much better Aston Martin have performed. The Spaniard has already scored 198 points and is 136 points clear of the best-performing Alpine of Pierre Gasly.
However, while Aston Martin have been brilliant this season, Alonso did not expect his side to be in this position when he joined. The two-time champion said in the same interview with GQ Magazine that the best he expected of Aston Martin this season was to consistently be in the top 10 and only fight for podiums in 2024.
