The reasons for Alonso’s departure
Alonso announced last week that he's leaving Alpine for Aston Martin. It's a decision that has shaken the world of Formula 1, and people are questioning the reasons behind his departure.
The two Alpine drivers, Alonso (regular) and Piastri (reserve), have decided not to race for their current team next season, leaving a vacant spot at Alpine. Alonso has chosen to leave and join Aston Martin, while Piastri will most likely join McLaren next year.
A contract that is too short
After two seasons with Alpine, Alonso wanted to continue racing for the team. However, the two sides did not agree on the duration of the contract and Alonso did not get what he wanted. The director of Alpine wanted to offer a one-year contract, with another year depending on good performances in the next championship. This did not please Alonso, who saw himself signing for a longer term, with at least two years, not counting the performances he would achieve in the Grand Prix races. He managed to secure a long-term contract with Aston Martin.
« We offered him a 1 + 1 contract.
» Otmar Szafnauer, the team manager, expressed himself on the subject.
We discussed this with Fernando. I told him, “If next year, at the same time, you have the same performance, of course we will continue with you.” And it could have continued.
It should be noted that the performances of Formula 1 drivers are often also related to their age and physical condition. Alonso, who has just turned 41, will therefore retire from F1 at the earliest after 43 years old. Few drivers have reached this age in F1. Kimi Räikkönen retired from F1 last year at the age of 41.
A lower salary
The economic proposals were also not in line with what Alonso expected. The big difference between the salaries offered by the two teams tilted the balance in favor of Aston Martin. Alpine proposed 12 million euros while Aston Martin offered double that amount, namely 24 million euros.
A bad relationship with Ocon
The driver who will be Alonso’s teammate during the 2023 season could also have been an important factor in Alonso’s contract signing. Indeed, we saw Alonso getting irritated during the last Grand Prix races because of Esteban Ocon’s behavior, his teammate at Alpine. He reproached him for fighting against each other instead of joining forces to aim for higher positions. These tensions may have pushed Alonso to leave Alpine and join Aston Martin to become Lance Stroll’s teammate.
At the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Alonso commented on the defense advocated by Ocon. « Of course, of course. We were a bit surprised by this defense. »
Promising investments at Aston Martin.
The new factory under construction in Silverstone can demonstrate Aston Martin’s ambition to be at the forefront of Formula 1. These ambitions have convinced Alonso to continue his career with them rather than with Alpine. The team is renewing its factory, wind tunnel, and has welcomed names with whom Alonso has worked, especially during his time at McLaren. We are talking about buildings occupying up to 37,000 m2 for a total cost of 235 million euros. Thanks to these advancements, the director hopes to value his team at nearly 1 billion pounds sterling, approximately 1.2 billion euros.
A long-standing acquaintance
The fact that Alonso and Aston Martin’s director, Lawrence Stroll, have known each other for a long time played in favor of the driver’s signing for the team. As Stroll pointed out.
I have known and admired Fernando for many years, and it has always been clear that he is a fighter like me.
Fernando Alonso will race for Aston Martin until at least 2024.
