Ahead of the 2023 Belgian GP, Alpine decided to part ways with their Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer, and Sporting Director Alan Permane. Both exited the Enstone-based outfit right after the race weekend was over. However, instead of offering support for his former boss, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso decided to go ahead and slander him, for failing at his job.
Alonso returned from his two-year-long sabbatical in 2021, joining a rebranded Renault team, now called Alpine. In his second year with the French squad, Otmar Szafnauer joined them as their team principal, and from the very get-go, it was clear that he wasn’t getting along well with Alonso.
BREAKING: Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Sporting Director Alan Permane to depart Alpine following the Belgian Grand Prix#F1 pic.twitter.com/idRxwoAK93
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2023
Szafnauer took several digs at Alonso’s old age and often brought up the topic of having younger drivers on his team. Alonso, however, who had no intentions of working with Szafnauer, decided to jump ship to Aston Martin as soon as a spot opened up. For Alpine, things got worse, as they lost out on Oscar Piastri to McLaren, despite already claiming that he would replace Alonso from 2022 onwards.
For Alpine and Szafnauer, it was an embarrassing few weeks. Still, the 58-year-old insisted that everything was on track for them and that he has no regrets about Alonso and Piastri leaving the outfit.
Fernando Alonso asks Otmar Szafnauer to be quiet
A year has passed since Alonso and Piastri gave back-to-back blows to Szafnauer and Alpine, leading to one of the biggest contract sagas in the modern era. Alonso and Piastri both seem happy at Aston Martin and McLaren respectively, but the same cannot be said about Szafnauer.
After Alpine’s poor start to the 2023 season, the bosses at Renault decided to fire him, along with other leadership figures at the team. Bringing up the debacle of 2022 in an interview with the BBC now, Alonso had the final laugh on the matter.
I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 2, 2022
“He should be quiet.” Alonso said. “He should not talk at all. After the results of Aston Martin and the results he’s achieving, he is still talking. And proud of the decision.”
Admittedly, many people, including Szafnauer, felt that Alonso’s move to Aston Martin would not work out, owing to the several wrong career choices made by the Spaniard in the past. Fortunately for Alonso, all those people turned out to be wrong.
Alonso spearheading Aston Martin’s 2023 success
Aston Martin was a team that was struggling on the wrong end of the grid for the majority of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. However, they made remarkable progress over the winter break, allowing Alonso to fight for podium places from the very get-go.
🚨 BREAKING – Aston Martin signs Fernando Alonso for 2023 #F1 https://t.co/MhG64yVlNf
— Autosport (@autosport) August 1, 2022
He finished in the top three six times this season, but since the Spanish GP, things have started going downhill for him and Aston Martin. They are no longer the second-fastest team on the grid, and are currently behind the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes in terms of pace.
Nonetheless, Alonso, who finished on the podium just once in two seasons with Alpine will be pleased with this year’s turnout. Despite being 42 years old, he is showing no signs of slowing down, and remains committed to giving his all, to win more races before hanging up his helmet.
