"Not everyone does things the same way" - Alpine boss takes a dig at Fernando Alonso's integrity and commitment

Otmar Szafnauer was disappointed with Fernando Alonso's move to Aston Martin and the way it was instrumented. The Alpine team principal suggested the Spaniard had different ways of operating and could have been in talks with Aston Martin for a long time.

Asked by Spanish publication El Confidencial if he was disappointed with the move or if it was a part of the game in F1, Szafnauer said:

“A little of both. I can’t be so naive as not to know the rules of the Formula 1 game, I’ve lived through many stories. But personally, I believe that I am a man of integrity and that if I commit to something, I will do my best to make it happen. I keep my word, it’s the way I’ve grown up, what my father passed on to me. I have done it with Sebastian Vettel, with Julian Jacobi -who had Ayrton Senna and now has Sergio Pérez-, with Anthony Hamilton when he represented Paul di Resta... But well, I have understood that not everyone does things the same form.”

Otmar Szafnauer believes he is a person of his word and integrity and has delivered on his commitments. In a subtle dig at Fernando Alonso, the Alpine team principal, however, suggested that not everyone in the sport operated with the same integrity. The American-Romanian team chief was unsurprised when told that the Spanish driver could have potentially been in talks with Aston Martin for a long time.

Upon being informed by the Spanish publication that the Spanish driver could have been talking to Aston Martin for a while, Szafnauer replied:

“For all I know from the years I’ve been in Formula 1, and taking into account that I was at Aston Martin last year, I could say that Fernando already had conversations last year, or two years ago years, really… Yes, it sounds like it may be possible, not logical, but possible. And likely…”

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Fernando Alonso has been offered a lot of money at Aston Martin, feels Alpine team principal

Otmar Szafnauer revealed that Alpine were planning to offer Fernando Alonso more remuneration than the one on his existing contract. The Alpine team principal, however, feels that Aston Martin could have offered the Spanish driver a mouth-watering offer in monetary terms.

Asked if money played a role in the decision made by the double world champion, Szafnauer said:

“I do not know how much they are going to pay him at Aston Martin, to be honest, I do not know. What I do know is that we offered him more money than we pay him now, which is logical. It was a figure that at the beginning he tried to negotiate, as everyone does, but in the end we reached an agreement, formally. But I don’t know, I’ve heard rumors that they made him a very high offer. I don’t know if it was a decisive factor, ask him.”

On whether Alpine has been outsmarted by the ’Piranha Club' of F1 in retaining Fernando Alonso, Szafnauer replied:

“Well, the ‘Piranha Club’… I think it’s capitalism at its best. Nothing is certain until it is signed... We had many conversations with Fernando, we wanted him to stay, obviously he also had his with Aston Martin... So it was the details of the contract that put him on the table that were more attractive to him than some of the details he had to discuss with us.”

The Alpine team principal felt that more than the "Piranha Club" of F1, there was capitalism involved in the gameplay which cost them Fernando Alonso in their driver lineup. Overall, Szafnauer felt that the offer made by his former employers at Silverstone was better than Alpine’s to lure the Spanish champion away.