“We Stuck to Our Guns”: Szafnauer Defends Alpine’s Bizarre Canadian GP Strategy for Fernando Alonso

The Canadian GP provided the fans a weekend of thrill with a rain-hit qualifying and eventful race. Now that the weekend has ended and the teams and drivers get to look back on it, some will be happier than others.

One unhappy driver at the moment would be Alpine’s Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard had a poor showing in Montreal due to questionable strategy calls. However, team boss Otmar Szafnauer stands by his team’s decision.

Otmar insists that the strategy for Canadian GP was right was Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso in many ways had rolled back the years in the Canadian GP qualifying. The Spaniard was flying in the rain and looked as if he could clinch a pole. However, Alonso had to settle for P2, which in itself is a stellar achievement.

Read More: WATCH: Enraged Fernando Alonso Thwacks Steering Wheel Amidst Alpine F1 Team Orders at Montreal

This had left the whole team optimistic about their chances of a podium in Montreal come Sunday. However, it was their strategy that would let them down. It was not all their fault as the team was caught out by the safety cars and the Virtual safety cars on track.

However, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer, defended their call when quizzed about Alonso’s pit stops. He said “I don’t know if you stop that early.. some of them did and had to stop again”

He added, “We stuck to our guns and I think that was the right thing.” Szafnauer concluded things by saying, “A 2 stop wouldn’t have worked for us.”

Read More: Sergio Perez Bemoans Anticlimactic End to Canadian GP as Red Bull’s Reliability Concerns Return

However, it was overall a good weekend for Alpine. Esteban Ocon finished in P6 and Alonso in P7 to secure a good haul of points for the team.

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Now they will be looking forward to the British GP in 2 weeks’ time. Alpine will be hoping for similar standards in performance where they can push the top teams in qualifying and have a shot at the podium places soon.