Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer unfazed by Fernando Alonso's unexpected exit
- Heinrich Griessel
- 3 August 2022
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer says Fernando Alonso's move to Aston Martin is not a problem.
Alonso's decision to leave fourth-placed Alpine to drive for the team currently second to last in the F1 Constructors' standings caused both surprised and confused reactions within the sport.
To add further complications to the mix, Alpine announced on Tuesday that Oscar Piastri will be driving for them in 2023, only for the young driver to post on social media shortly thereafter that he did not agree to this case of affairs as he is angling for a move to McLaren instead.
However, Szafnauer has remained philosophical about the whole situation, stating that Alpine will simply do their utmost to fill the vacant seat with the best driver available.
"I mean, if you look at Fernando, for example, he comes and goes, and I think that happens to other drivers too," he said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.
"And I don't think that's an issue at all. I think what we need to focus on is, like I say, the plans that we have for the next 89-88 races.
"We've got to make sure that we complement that plan with the best driver that we can, and there are some options out there for us. And we put the best driver in next to Esteban [Ocon], so that we can move forward towards what we've been planning."
