Fernando Alonso has rejected the notion he was involved in a “conspiracy” to dismantle Alpine and that the ensuing Oscar Piastri saga that followed is “not my thing”.
Alonso was announced as the retiring Sebastian Vettel’s replacement at Aston Martin for 2023 in a move that stunned the F1 paddock.
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Piastri, Alpine’s reserve driver, was announced by the team as Alonso’s replacement, only for the Australian to state otherwise on social media.
Instead, Piastri emerged as a shock contender to join McLaren and steal Daniel Ricciardo’s seat, a scenario that is now all but confirmed after the latter announced his shock exit from the team.
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Alonso simply could not have foreseen the chaos that would ensue, but it did not prevent speculation that he had an idea of Piastri’s intentions all along amid allegations of collusion between Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, Alonso and his manager, Flavio Briatore.
When quizzed if he knew of the youngster’s plan, Alonso immediately quashed talk of any knowledge.
“No, not at all,” Alonso said.
“I read that in the first days and honestly it was quite sad and annoying to read that conspiracy, because I made this decision, I explained why.
“For some months that I’ve been chatting with the team about extending the contract but nothing officially arrived and nothing officially happened, and Aston called me after Seb retired. If Sebastian continued, this probably would not have happened, the move to Aston.
“There were very clear and easy decisions from my side, and what happened after and what is happening with Oscar, is completely not my thing and I will be completely aside.”
VETTEL’S BRUTAL MCLAREN SWIPE OVER RICCIARDO STRUGGLES
Sebastian Vettel has laid the blame for Daniel Ricciardo’s recent struggles squarely at the feet of McLaren, believing the team “failed to extract the potential” the Australian possesses.
Vettel got a first-hand account of Ricciardo’s talent when they were Red Bull teammates in 2014, with the latter emerging with more points that season.
Like Ricciardo, the German has also struggled with getting to grips with new vehicles in recent years, especially since he joined Aston Martin from Ferrari.
Although the West Australian has hinted he might take a break from F1 after the 2022 season is done, Vettel believed Ricciardo still has plenty to offer.
“I think he’s still one of the best drivers,” Vettel said.
“I raced against him, I had the pleasure to race against him, and the not-so-pleasurable side of getting beaten by him years ago, and I still think he has very, very much to offer.
“I think, in this regard and I don’t know the details, but I guess McLaren failed to extract the potential that he has. It’s sad to see that he’s been put in a difficult position, but I wish him all the best.
“I’m sure that, ultimately, the talent he has and the qualities he has will shine through.”
