Alpine does not understand Alonso: 'His time is also limited'

Fernando Alonso very much wants to win his third world title. That should happen in the coming years at Aston Martin, the English team with which he signed a multi-year contract. His term at Alpine thus comes to an end at the end of the year, although the French would have liked to have kept him longer.

It is known that Alpine wanted to give Alonso a one-year contract, plus an option for an additional season. The Spaniard himself wanted a two-year commitment. However, Laurent Rossi, the Alpine team boss, did not think that was justified. Actually, Rossi does not understand why Alonso did not then re-engage with Alpine after all, he hinted in Auto, Motor und Sport.

Less risk

"He is now switching to a race team that is ninth in the World Championship. That means rebuilding work he has already done with us. Alpine would certainly have been a lower risk for him from a sporting point of view. Fernando's time is also limited. There are also other things we couldn't offer Fernando. I cannot set the bar arbitrarily high. We ask our employees in the factories to make sacrifices. We cannot go too far in Formula 1. Formula 1 is not a toy for us, it is a business," Rossi said.

Rossi stresses that Alonso and Alpine are parting on a good note. The Frenchman considers him the greatest champion to ever drive for Renault - Alpine's predecessor. But after the departure of Alonso and also reserve driver Oscar Piastri, Alpine does have to look for a replacement. Pierre Gasly seems to be the main candidate for the seat for now.