“He should be quiet. He should not talk at all”: Fernando Alonso hits out at former Alpine F1 boss after bitter exit

Fernando Alonso recently discussed the situation that Alpine is facing amidst the departure of their team principal, Otmar Szafnauer.

Alonso joined Aston Martin from Alpine after Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from the sport, taking the vacant seat that the German left. The decision was questioned by many due to the underwhelming pace of the Aston Martin car compared to the Alpine in the past two years.

However, coming into the 2023 season, Aston Martin developed well enough to challenge the teams at the top, while Alpine made no progress. The latter has been in the process of restructuring after an underwhelming 2023 season so far, firing their CEO, Laurent Rossi, team principal Otmar Szafnauer, and sporting director, Alan Permane.

Alonso spoke about the contract that Alpine had offered him back in 2022. The Spaniard was expecting a two-year term with the team but wasn't offered one. As quoted by BBC, he said:

"But it is true it took longer than I thought when we started conversations - I think it was in Australia back in [April] 2022 - about renewing the contract."

The 42-year-old also stated that he issues with the car's pace.

"It was just on a very slow pace, and it was not from my side. I was just ready and happy. The 2022 car was a fast car so I was also happy with the performance and the possibilities into the future."

Alonso questioned the team's methods and criticized Szafnauer for his attitude.

"It is the way they do things. Or the way Otmar does things. Because after this year, he should be quiet. He should not talk at all. After the results of Aston Martin and the results he's achieving, he's still talking and still proud of the decision, which is incredible, amazing."

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Fernando Alonso feels Alpine underestimated his performance

When asked if he felt that Alpine underestimated his achievements within the team, the double world champion wholeheartedly agreed. He said, bluntly:

"100%. And still do."

The Alpine car just wasn't competitive enough for the 42-year-old to bring in better results. The inconcsistent Renault engines has many issues, making it tough for the Spaniard to complete a handful of races. Alonso revealed that the team would sometimes doubt his age or performance, which he didn't appreciate. He said:

"When you are doing the best you can every weekend, when I did so many things for Renault as well, you take a little bit personal when someone is doubting your performance or your age or these kinds of things."