After yesterday’s Hungarian Grand Prix Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer gave every indication the team’s star driver Fernando Alonso was going to sign a new contract to remain with them.
Asked by RaceFans whether he was confident Alonso would stay at the team which lured him back to F1 last year, Szafnauer said: “Of course.”
Did he expect a straightforward contract negotiation? “Very straightforward.”
Were there any big sticking points in Alonso’s new contract left to resolve? “No, not really. We’ve gone through all that. It’s just a matter of time. Just details. Little stuff.”
Yet, less than 16 hours after Szafnauer spoke those words, Aston Martin issued a press release declaring the two-times world champion had signed a “multi-year” deal to join their team from 2023.
It wasn’t only Szafnauer who gave strong outwards signs that, despite Sebastian Vettel’s impending retirement opening up a seat at Aston Martin, Alonso intended to stay put. The man himself said as much after Vettel made his announcement on Thursday.
“I would like to stay here,” he said in response to a question from RaceFans. “But there are two parties and I will not put a gun in the head of anyone.”
Aston Martin had unsuccessfully courted him before, said Alonso, following the team’s purchase by Lawrence Stroll, after which it initially competed under the name Racing Point.
“We spoke in 2020 when they were very competitive, obviously, and winning races and in the podium,” he said. “Before I came back. And it didn’t went well and I came with Alpine and I’m happy where I am.”
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But Alonso also indicated his contract discussions were not focused solely on Alpine. “When two parties want to agree on something, it takes 10 minutes. When two parties fight to agree on something, maybe one of the sides is not happy.
“So it will not take more than 10 minutes with whatever I am talking.”
He gave more than one indication he was prepared to look elsewhere. “All the teams are an option as long as they don’t have two drivers signed,” he continued.
“My priority is to be with Alpine because we’ve been working and developing this project together for two years now. We are more and more competitive and probably my wish is to stay.
“But we didn’t sit down completely and move forwards…
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