Alonso wants to continue in F1 in 2023 with Alpine.
Formula 1 reaches the summer break and Fernando Alonso continues without a contract for next season, although the Asturian driver does not seem nervous about it. In Hungary, the two-time champion assured that he would like to continue in Alpine next year, and he does not seem to think of other options either inside or outside of F1.
In Alpine, Alonso has been working for more than two years to bring the team back to the fight for the podium and victory. And, despite the strategic and reliability failures that we have seen, the French team this year has taken a step forward to place – for the moment – in fourth place in the Constructors’ World Championship.
In Hungary, before the start of the activity on the track, Alonso acknowledged that the negotiations with Alpine will take place during the summer and therefore they will be done by videoconference. The Spaniard believes that the talks should not last long. In addition, he showed his desire to continue, placing the ball on the Enstone court.
“When two parties want to agree, it takes ten minutes. When they struggle to agree, one of the parties is not happy. It will not take more than ten minutes. I would like to stay here, I have already said it,” said Alonso, according to the newspaper AS.
“But there are two parts and I will not put a gun to anyone’s head. We will negotiate and if we agree, it will be ten minutes. If we have to fight a lot, it will be weird,” Alonso said.
Apparently, the only issue on which Alpine and Alonso would not be in complete agreement is the duration of the new contract. Although the French team would opt for a new one-year contract plus another as an option, Alonso prefers to have the peace of mind of a two-year agreement, which would ensure his continuity in F1 until the end of 2024.
“I’m fresh and motivated, looking forward to next year. Let’s go to Las Vegas, maybe to South Africa, these things appeal to me. I feel very fast this year, in 2021 I suffered a bit, but now I see myself one hundred percent “IndyCar, resistance, not now. I’m focused on F1”, assured Alonso.
“There are signs in the body that make you raise your hand and admit that it has been too much for you. But now I look very good,” he added.
On the track, the man from Oviedo continues to show an undeniable pace and at the level of the best. In fact, there is little doubt that, if he had a Red Bull or a Ferrari, Alonso would be winning races at just 41 years of age.
As an alternative to Alonso, Alpine only thinks of Oscar Piastri, the promising Formula 2 champion of last season, who will be promoted to F1 in 2023, either in his own team or on loan to another team. The Piastri-Ocon couple would mean significant cost savings, but also less media visibility.
In recent hours, after the announcement of Sebastian Vettel’s retirement from Formula 1 at the end of this course, there has been speculation about who will compete for Aston Martin next season. Although Alonso does not seem the favorite for this seat, and it is likely that at a sporting level he is even a less interesting option than Alpine, he can be a good weapon to negotiate.
