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Alpine boss, Otmar Szafnauer has admitted that Fernando Alonso‘s age was an element when agreeing a brand new contract with the Spaniard, who subsequently signed to Aston Martin.
Because the Oscar Piastri saga continues – we have not obtained spherical to Piastri-gate, Alpine-gate or Webber-gate but, however give it time – consideration has turned to the person who appeared to kick-start the entire sorry mess.
On Monday, simply days after claiming that remaining with Alpine was his “precedence”, Alonso introduced his shock signing with Aston Martin.
Shock, as a result of it got here as a lot of a shock to Alpine because it did the remainder of us.
Initially on a one-plus-one contract with the French crew, it was presumed that, Piastri apart, primarily based on his performances an analogous deal can be agreed for 2023.
Nonetheless, having beforehand admitted that he envisaged racing for 3 extra season, whereas Alpine was completely happy to signal on the dotted line for 2023, allowing for the Spaniard has simply turned 41, there was a certain quantity of comprehensible hesitancy in agreeing to a long term deal, and it’s this that’s understood to have induced the two-time champ to leap ship.
“We supplied him a one-plus-one deal,” says Szafnauer, in keeping with The Race. “It is laborious to foretell the longer term, so we supplied a one-plus-one deal.
“We mentioned that with Fernando,” he provides, having instructed the Spaniard; ‘look, if subsequent 12 months presently you are performing on the similar stage, in fact we’ll take you’.
“That would have carried on,” insists Szafnauer. “However I believe he wished extra certainty – ‘unbiased of efficiency, I wish to keep for longer’. I believe that was the crux of the going one-plus-one versus two-plus-one or three-plus-one or three years.”
Although probably not needing to justify his crew’s stance, Szafnauer says: “There does come a time the place one thing occurs physiologically to a driver, and you do not have the identical skills you probably did once you had been youthful. I believe it occurred to Michael, I believe it is honest to say Michael Schumacher at 42 was not the identical driver he was at 32 or at 35.
“It occurs to different sportsmen,” he continues, “cricketers, with all due respect to all of you that play cricket, it is not such a bodily strenuous sport. It is all about eye-hand coordination, transferring the bat to the correct millimetres. However at 32, 33, 34, one of the best batsmen on the earth cannot do it anymore. And that is as a result of one thing occurs to them.
“It occurs to race automobile drivers too. So we’re in favour of, sure, when you’re performing to the excessive stage for positive, we’ll hold you. However let’s do it one 12 months at a time – and I believe he wished an extended period.
“He is an incredible, nice driver, among the many greatest I’ve labored with,” insists Szafnauer. “He nonetheless is competing at a really excessive stage, he is nonetheless quick, in difficult circumstances, which actually exhibits the driving force’s ability, he is even higher, and we noticed that this 12 months.
“If that continues for an additional three years, nice; nice for Aston and Fernando. I do not know when that can wane.”
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