Spa announced the dismissal of Otmar Szafnauer as Alpine team leader. Aston Martin racer Fernando Alonso, in an interview for BBC Sport, which was recorded at the stage in Belgium before the news of the change in leadership, said that Alpine did not appreciate his contribution to the development of the team, and last year they themselves were in no hurry to renew the contract with him. .
Fernando Alonso «I did not feel that I was treated without respect, but the reality is that the negotiations dragged on. We started talking about a contract extension in the days of the 2022 Australian Grand Prix and the talks moved very slowly, but through no fault of my own.
I was ready to extend the contract, because everything suited me. The 2022 car was fast, I was happy with my form and our options for the future. But the talks moved slowly and they didn’t even put on paper what we had already discussed.
In parallel, I heard all these comments about my age and things like that that Laurent Rossi and Otmar Szafnauer kept doing.
This is their style of doing business or Otmar’s style. After this year’s results, he had to keep quiet and say nothing at all. Despite Aston Martin’s results and achievements, he still continues to speak and be proud of his decisions. It’s just incredible, amazing.”
Asked if he thinks Alpine underestimated his contribution to the team, Fernando Alonso said: “100%. And still not appreciated.
When you push yourself to the limit every weekend, and given how much I’ve done for Renault, you start to take it to heart when someone questions your ability, age, and things like that. And you’re just trying to prove that you’re going through the best period of your career right now. The results speak for themselves – this is the best way to answer.”
2023-08-02 10:41:00
#Alonso #Alpine #appreciated
