‘Criminal to let Fernando Alonso go’ Ralf Schumacher blasts Alpine for the current saga
Fernando Alonso
Sebastian Vettel’s retirement triggered a bit of a domino effect in Formula 1: Of course, there would be many contenders, one of whom may have been Mick Schumacher, but the real surprise came in the form of Fernando Alonso, who will leave Alpine next year to join the British outfit.
The announcement was met with some surprise and hysteria. Why would Alonso leave Alpine, who are currently 4th in the standings, to go to Aston Martin who are 9th? Alonso is rather infamous for his career choices, but this was shocking on a completely different level. Then it emerged that there would have been other factors at work.
Apparently, Fernando Alonso wanted a multi-year contract, but Alpine weren’t willing to offer that, and nor were they willing to match Alonso’s salary demands. As a result, Alonso left the team for Aston Martin, who met his demands, and where he can build an ‘era’ so to speak. From that point on, it should have been simple for Alpine, to promote Oscar Piastri – but it wasn’t to be.
Ralf Schumacher thinks Oscar Piastri can’t be blamed for the current mess
Talking to Sky Sports Germany, Ralf Schumacher said that Alpine had no interest in putting Piastri in a Formula 1 seat in 2023, which would likely have been one of the reasons Oscar Piastri chose to negotiate with McLaren instead. He said:
“There are a lot of rumours. One thing was clear: Alpine initially had no interest in putting Piastri in the car next year because you saw that young drivers need a certain amount of time [until they arrive in F1]. They wanted to put him somewhere else for a year or two.” adding that Alpine may have had an option to put Piastri in for 2023: But they did not want Alonso to leave.
“Alpine had an option [to put Piastri in the cockpit], but it wasn’t taken because they didn’t expect Fernando Alonso to leave. When you have such a gem, it is criminal to let him go.”
However now, Alpine have neither option: Piastri has publicly stated that he will not be driving for Alpine next year, and is still in discussions with McLaren. Schumacher said: “If you’re not able to get the contracts right yourself, then you can’t blame the young man. You also can’t forget that Piastri’s manager Mark Webber has a very, very close relationship with McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl.”
Ralf Schumacher does not think that there is absolutely no way that Piastri takes the Alpine seat now and that Piastri going to McLaren would be the right move for the young Australian. He also thinks that Otmar Szafnauer’s criticism of Piastri is unfair, as Szafnauer only has himself to blame for the current mess at Alpine.
Also Read: “We are here to win,” Aston Martin puts out ‘statement of intent’ signing Fernando Alonso
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)