Towards the end of the 2022 season, Aston Martin’s Chief Communications Officer Matt Bishop announced he would step down from his role. This coincided with Fernando Alonso’s arrival in the team.
Bishop previously worked with the Spaniard while the duo were at McLaren. However, Alonso’s second stint with the British team did not end well
A recent article by Business F1 indicates Bishop had a fallout with Alonso, causing him to quit the position. But according to the former Aston Martin PR Head, it’s further from the truth.
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F1 Magazine spills beans about Fernando Alonso’s arrival at Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso’s announcement as Aston Martin’s 2023 driver was a surprise to everyone. The driver began negotiations with the team directly after Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement at the end of the season.
But according to Business F1’s article, Aston had considered letting Vettel go following his support for the ‘Just Stop Oil’ protestors at the 2022 British GP. Needless to say, the team’s sponsor Aramco was not impressed by the German’s actions.
After an internal team meeting, Vettel himself agreed to retire following differences with the team. And Matt Bishop himself drafted the 4-time World Champion’s infamous Instagram video
Bishop was aligned with Vettel’s views and the two had a lot in common. But what broke the camel’s back was when Alonso was appointed as Vettel’s successor.
During his first stint with McLaren, Alonso had a terrible fallout with teammate Lewis Hamilton. He played a key role as McLaren received a $100 Million Fine in the ‘Spygate’ Controversy.
Alonso’s 2nd term also ended in a messy divorce with the driver humiliating the car on team radio. And the 2-time World Champion had bad blood with some of the staff including Bishop, the communications director at that time.
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Matt Bishop rubs of Alonso’s link as ‘nonsense’
A Twitter user ‘Jonty’s Corner’ pointed out the article linking Fernando Alonso’s incoming and Matt Bishop’s departure from the team. To which Bishop replied calling the rumours to be “grossly inaccurate”.
Bishop replied, “It’s based on the theory that I didn’t get on well with Fernando when I worked with him at McLaren in 2007. Well, I only started work at McLaren in 2008.”
Bishop was hired by McLaren chairman Ron Dennis after the 2007 scandal and Fernando Alonso’s move to Renault. He added, “I worked well with him when he returned to McLaren from 2015 onwards”
Bishop announced he would be leaving his position as Aston Martin’s Chief Communications Officer after the 2022 season. He started working with the team in 2021 and completed 2 whole seasons.
He clarified that he would be taking a break and working on other projects. Bishop described his term with the Silverstone-based team saying, “From a personal point of view, however, my work at Aston Martin is done, & I have no regrets.”
Also Read: Aston Martin Boss Feels Fernando Alonso Will Be Better for Them Than Sebastian Vettel Was
