Otmar Szafnauer, who has worked closely with Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin and now Fernando Alonso as the Alpine team boss, recently revealed that while both former world champions have different personalities and approaches, their drive to win is exactly the same.
Describing their varying approaches to the championship and their shared desire to be at the top, Szafnauer told AS:
“They are very similar. Different in personality, but similar in their requests to be able to go faster, about what they do. I think Sebastian has more detailed feedback, but Fernando focuses on those things that will give him more performance from the start, the big stuff, whereas Sebastian studies the big stuff and then gets into the details. There are differences, but their desire to win and improve performance is the same.”
Szafnauer has certainly been content with the double World Champion's performance so far, and the Alpine driver himself has been clear about his intention to remain in the sport beyond this season. Szafnauer spoke about Alonso's hunger for wins that remains even today:
“It’s the first time I’ve worked with him. I like the fact that he is ultra-competitive, he pushes to improve the car, but also to be faster, him and the people around him. He still has the hunger of champions, that’s something I love, and he’s also very talented. He gets a lap out of the car very quickly, possibly quicker than anyone I’ve worked with. It’s a talent that not many people have, he does. He’s also very good on Sundays, in the race. We have a great combination with Esteban, who is younger.”
Despite being the oldest driver on the grid, Alonso has had a very strong start to the 2022 season in terms of pace and has just been a victim to several moments of bad luck in the first few races this year.
However, with Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri spending his crucial years on the sidelines, the Spaniard's future at Alpine certainly seems to be at risk, given that team-mate Esteban Ocon is set to contractually remain with the team beyond the end of the season.
"Some drivers are not as good as Oscar right now" - Alpine CEO on Formula 2 champion
Oscar Piastri is a reserve driver for Alpine and his future in the team and in the sport has been a topic of conversation ever since he won the Formula 2 world championship in 2021.
As reported by GP Blog, Rossi compared Piastri to several other drivers:
"I appreciate Oscar very much, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen him as a reserve. There are plenty of drivers knocking on the door hoping to get a spot. It would be an easy choice for me to choose Oscar. He is a brilliant driver who is breaking record after record. I would say some drivers are not as good as Oscar right now."
Several fans were surprised to learn that Alpine chose to continue with Alonso for the 2022 season, but Rossi has been clear that the team will be ready to offer Piastri a seat when their car is capable of fighting for wins and championships.
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