"I suppose Otmar wouldn't sign Adrian Newey” - Fernando Alonso takes a sly dig at former Alpine boss

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso took a cheeky jibe at his former team boss Otmar Szafnauer by saying that the Alpine team boss won't sign Adrian Newey because of his age.

Alonso raced with Alpine for two seasons and was present in Szafnauer's first year as team principal. The two-time world champion was expected to continue to drive with the French team but shocked the paddock by moving teams. It was later reported that Szafnauer was hesitant to give the Spaniard a longer contract, given his age.

Speaking to MARCA, Alonso said:

“I supposed Otmar wouldn’t sign Adrian Newey. He’s 64 years old. Otmar played his part, but that doesn’t work with me. Age shouldn’t be a huge factor for drivers. Aston were not afraid.”

Alpine signed Pierre Gasly to replace the Spanish driver for the 2023 season after he left to replace the retired Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.

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"With a normal car, you can see that he has weaknesses" - Fernando Alonso on Lewis Hamilton

Fernando Alonso also took a jibe at his rival and former teammate Lewis Hamilton for his struggles, saying that a 'normal' car exposed the seven-time world champion's weaknesses. Speaking to Le'Equipe, Alonso said:

"With a normal car, you can see that he has weaknesses. Before, he was out alone ahead or sometimes with his teammate. But look, he holds the record for poles, and George is beating him 2-0 in qualifying this season. He hasn't suddenly forgotten how to drive. It just goes to show how much the car is still a key factor in the performance. To win titles, you need the kind of dominant cars that Lewis has had."

Alonso also said that Hamilton's assessment that the RB19 is the 'fastest' car the Briton has ever seen is wrong:

"I don't agree at all. Last week I finished 20 seconds behind Checo (Sergio Perez) and Max (Verstappen). He and Rosberg were a minute behind the rest of the field in 2014 and 2015. And on top of that, after slamming two or three fast laps, they would protect their engine and drop the performance. He has a short memory; he's getting old."

Since Fernando Alonso's return to the sport in 2021, there have been more wheel-to-wheel battles between him and Lewis Hamilton. Almost similar machinery is enabling the two drivers to compete against each other more fiercely than ever before in the 2023 season.