“Alpine had been negotiating for several months and nothing was ever finalized, we agreed on everything, but the paper did not arrive, I noticed a bit of lack of professionalism.” – This is what Fernando Alonso had to say after jumping ship to Aston Martin in 2023. While he prospered after that decision, his ex-team drowned and has now hit rock bottom. Moreover, the Spaniard cannot believe Alpine‘s current state and hopes for a strong recovery.
From P5 in 2021 to P4 in 2022 to P6 in 2023 to dead last in 2024 yet, Alpine’s performance went up a notch only to plummet. Retrospectively, Alonso timed his exit to perfection while his then-teammate, Esteban Ocon, didn’t. And now the French driver is scrambling for a way out. In such a situation, the 2-time champ has declared his “love” for the team, hoping for their revival.
“This is difficult to comment from the outside,” Fernando Alonso said, as quoted by Motorsportweek. “It’s a team that I love, a team that gave me a lot of great things in my career. So, I hope they can get better. When I was there obviously, the team maybe was different. It was a great atmosphere, and it was a good performance as well, especially in 2022. We were within the top five, top six in every race of the year. So, it is a bit surprising to see the current results. But hopefully, they fix things quickly.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Alpine’s performance has dropped to such lows that key personnel have been leaving the team left, right, and center. Among those leaving, their technical advisor has recently followed Alonso into Aston Martin.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Fernando Alonso happily welcomes Alpine’s Technical Advisor to Aston Martin
Former Renault Technical Director and Alpine’s Advisor, Bob Bell, has left the team after 5 years. By joining Aston Martin, he reunites with Fernando Alonso, with whom he won 2 World Championships at Renault. And the Spanish racer is excited to have him back.
“Those kinds of senior role people, they bring always background knowledge about how to run a competitive team, and how to have a good structure in the factory,” Alonso told Autosport. “So the contribution of Bob hopefully brings Aston into a better level, and that’s the aim, so I’m happy to welcome him.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Read More: Max Verstappen Snubs Teammate Sergio Perez to Pick Fernando Alonso as the Better Driver
As the days pass by, the drama surrounding Alpine keeps increasing. Hopefully, they can resolve the issues before the governing body has to interfere to make sure they are still competent to be at the pinnacle of motorsport.