As Fernando Alonso hinted at a move away from Alpine to Aston Martin last year, former boss Otmar Szafnauer said that the Spanish driver would struggle in the British team. However, after a year, it all seems different as Alonso is having a very successful season with Aston Martin. Whereas, Alpine is continuing to struggle. And the two-time world champion is loving the sight.
Following Sebastian Vettel’s announcement to retire at the end of the 2022 season, there has been a merry-go-round throughout the F1 paddock. As Alonso decided to replace Vettel on the Green team, Alpine got busy acquiring Oscar Piastri’s service. Which, in the end, turned into a legal battle with McLaren.
Now, after a year of Szafnauer making predictions on Alonso after he walked away from the French team, he was recently sacked by the Renault hierarchy following poor performances this season. On the other hand, the Asturian is having a decent time with the Silverstone-based team.
Alonso answers Szafnauer back after recent dismissal
As Szafnauer was sacked, the F1 fraternity was in a state of surprise, including Alonso. However, he is still carrying on with the British team in style. Currently, Alonso is in P3 in the driver’s standings and alone has more points than Alpine.
Speaking about this, the 42-year-old revealed to BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast as per GP fans, “I think that’s just how they do things and how Otmar does things. After this year, he should be quiet, he should not talk at all after the results of Aston Martin and the results he is achieving.”
Fernando Alonso says Otmar Szafnauer “should be quiet” after Alpine’s 2022 contract saga:
“He should be quiet. 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.”#F1 pic.twitter.com/1pY1kPVK6C
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) August 2, 2023
He also added, “But he’s still talking and he’s still proud of the decision which is incredible.” Following this, the Asturian pointed out how the former Alpine boss is still proud and confident about his decisions in the team.
Alonso and his Alpine days
Admittedly, Alonso complained that the French team underestimated Alonso and his talent during his stay on the team. And surprisingly, they still do, revealed the 32-time GP winner.
Alonso has long been an Alpine [or Renault] faithful. From winning two back-to-back world championships in 2005 and 2006 to sharing multiple seasons with them, he is one of the best drivers to have driven for the team.
Those two years were the highest in Alonso’s F1 career. However, as he joined them back in 2021 and stayed till 2022, these two years had really been underwhelming for him. Constant reliability issues ruined his season one after the other.
