Alpine was working on a special edition car as a special gift for Fernando Alonso had he renewed his contract with the team for 2023.
In the first few days of the 2022 F1 season’s summer break, major news broke out. It was announced that Fernando Alonso will be an Aston Martin in the upcoming 2023 season.
Alonso will be replacing the retiring 4-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. He has signed a new multi-million dollar contract with the British team reportedly for about 3 years, with no clauses attached.
The move has upset Alpine as they were committed to continuing their relationship with the Spaniard. Alonso himself won his 2 championships in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, as it was then known.
Apparently, Alpine was surprised by Alonso’s sudden move. They had no clue that he was negotiating a deal with Aston Martin.
He signed two years contract deal with the team of Alpine until 2022 end. And he earned a salary up to $20 million a year, making him one of the highest-paid drivers on the grid.
In fact, Alpine was prepared to launch a limited edition ‘Alpine A110’ that would have been dedicated as a ‘special gift’ for Alonso. The model was expected to be released during the Japanese GP weekend on October 9th.
The Renault group wanted to honour the Spaniard as a token of appreciation for his services with the French company. Instead, he’ll be rolling into the 2023 paddock in an Aston Martin!
Also Read: Alpine boss admits 41-year old did not talk to him about his move to Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso’s departure was not expected according to Alpine
Fernando Alonso has been a World Champion driving a Renault. He is deeply respected by the French team.
But no one in Alpine believed he’ll be negotiating terms with Aston Martin. Even the team Principal Otmar Szaufner says, the press release by Aston Martin, “was the first confirmation I had”.
He said, “I did ask the question [to Alonso]. And I was told: ‘No, no, I haven’t signed anything.’ So I was a bit surprised.”
Alpine was offering Alonso a one-year contract with an option to extend for another year. They had even reduced his salary. This did not set well with the driver as he felt disrespected.
Szaufner said, “We offered a one plus one deal. And we discussed with Fernando that: ‘look, if next year at this time, you’re performing at the same level, of course, we will take you and that could have carried on”.
Alpine was not sure whether the 41-year-old would continue for long in F1. And when Aston Martin showed commitment with the 3-year contract, he agreed.
Also Read: Alpine prioritized Esteban Ocon’s salary over 2-time World Champion’s
