Less than Ocon: the ridiculous salary that Alpine offered Fernando Alonso to renew
The first novelty of the summer break in Formula 1 was the signing of Fernando Alonso by the Aston Martin team. In 2023, the Asturian driver will join the ranks of the British cast after the retirement of Sebastian Vettel. In this context, it is necessary to highlight the reason that motivated the two-time world champion to make a radical decision.
Fernando Alonso and Alpine were fighting for fourth place in the constructors’ championship. However, the Spanish driver made the decision to go to a team that is fighting at the bottom of the grid. Similarly, it should be noted that the French cast did not meet the expectations of “Magic” Alonso in a key department.
In the middle of the season, the Alpine team made conflicting statements about the permanence of Fernando Alonso. The Spanish pilot had as a priority a project that would ensure his continuity in the great circus. This is how Aston Martin surpassed what was offered by the French team.
“they offered to Fernando Alonso less than five million euros. Alpine prioritized Esteban Ocon’s salary over the two-time world champion”, as reported by the newspaper “Sport Rush”, where they pointed out that the 41-year-old pilot was offered a contract to renew each year, something that was not to his liking because the figure represents half of what Esteban Ocon charges.
the alpine drama
The truth is that the boss of the French team indicated that he knew nothing about the decision made by “Magic” Alonso, so he was taken by surprise. The team then assured that Oscar Piastri would take Alonso’s seat next season, which the current reserve driver denied in a tweet.
This is how the summer break began on hold, because at Williams Racing one seat remains to be confirmed, as does Haas. Daniel Ricciardo has been appointed to fill the vacant seat left by Alonso and Piastri was linked to McLaren.