the team manager Alpine formula one, Otmar Szafnauerrevealed this Tuesday that he learned that the Spaniards Fernando Alonso will be leaving the team at the end of this season when he saw the press release from Aston-Martin the signing was announced Monday morning.
Szafnauer also revealed that the two sides were “very, very close” to closing a deal, making the Spaniard’s multi-year deal with Aston Martin all the more surprising to him.
“I was very confident at the time that Fernando would continue with us, and said that with integrity and honesty. This is what I really believed at the time… Fernando and I talked for quite a while and were very close to finalizing the deal. Szafnauer said .
“There were just a couple of minor points pending. He said his lawyer would get in touch with us and I thought he was. And before he left, I confirmed that we were going to sign soon and he said, ‘yes, no. Don’t worry, I haven’t signed anything else yet, we’ll continue it in the next few days,'” he added, according to the official website of world.
He continued: “And the next morning I also woke up… well I actually woke up before the release, but the next morning I saw the Aston Martin coming out. We were very, very close, with what I thought was a fair contract for both parties and to Fernando too, but it seems that eventually he decided to do something else”.
Asked if Aston Martin’s press release was the first news he had of Alonso leaving the team, Szafnauer said: “This is the first confirmation I have. Obviously when we are in the paddock there are all kinds of gossip, and I heard a rumor that Aston was interested.
“And when you know that they are interested, there must have been discussions and there are some other indications that there were discussions, like going out in the same motorhome at the same time that I saw,” he added.
“But I was sure that even with the discussions there is nothing wrong with exploring and that we were very close. So yeah, the first confirmation I got was the press release. signed nothing’. So I was a little surprised,” he confessed. .
Also on Tuesday, Alpine announced that Fernando Alonso’s replacement from next season would be Oscar Piastri, but the Australian driver turned the French team down two hours later and confirmed he would not race for them in 2023.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
