What does Alonso have to do with it? A lot of! He is the best bud of Mark Webber, who manages the super talent Piastri – and who was once looked after by Flavio Briatore. The Italian, in turn, is still the manager of, yes, Fernando Alonso.
So it’s logical that Webber and his protégé Oscar Piastri must have known about Alonso’s plans. Nevertheless, they didn’t just wait for the Spaniard’s seat to become vacant for the high-flyer from Australia – like the old master, they looked for another cockpit themselves.
Mark Webber manages the super talent Piastri.
But that’s not all: In poker for the future of the 2021 Formula 2 champion, Alonso waited until August 1 to thumb his nose at Alpine. In doing so, he also indirectly paved the way for Piastri. As various English media reports, Alpine should have taken an option on the super talent by July 31st. But the French around boss Laurent Rossi and team boss Otmar Szafnauer apparently didn’t think that was necessary, as they were sure that Alonso wanted to stay.
The old master had deliberately set the wrong track with sentences like: “I’m happy where I am.” Or: “My priority is Alpine.” You had to listen very carefully to correctly interpret other statements. Probably the most striking example from today’s perspective: “If two parties want to agree on something, it takes ten minutes. If two parties disagree, one of the two sides may not be happy.”
Otmar Szafnauer and Fernando Alonso.
This is also revealed by statements by team boss Szafnauer, who thought the Spaniard was on a boat off the Greek islands, and Mark Webber in Australia. Alone: The Australian was spotted last weekend in London at Formula E (in conversation with McLaren boss Zak Brown!) and Alonso has now reported via Instagram from his hometown of Oviedo – with a mischievous grin.
The question remains why the Alonso clan Alpine wanted to wipe one out. Apparently, the offer of a 1+1 contract (instead of 2+1) and a lower salary than teammate Esteban Ocon were the last straw. Such contempt is beneath the double champion’s dignity.
The fact that Piastri also prefers McLaren-Mercedes to the team from France, which is ahead of the British in the World Cup, speaks volumes. At Alpine, CEO Laurent Rossi already disgusted the French legend Alain Prost. Now also Alonso and his own jewel, in which a lot of time and money has been invested since 2020.
Does his new boss Lawrence Stroll know that too?
