Alpine is not having its best moment in F1. Although it seems to have a better car than last season, the performance of its drivers is not what was expected. Proof of this is the recent announcement of a driver change, with Franco Colapinto replacing Jack Doohan starting with the next Grand Prix in Imola. Meanwhile, Renault CEO Luca de Meo has surprised everyone by talking about Fernando Alonso‘s departure from the team in 2022.
Fernando Alonso and his time at Alpine
Fernando Alonso has spent three stages of his career with the Alpine team, formerly Renault. In the first, he became the youngest driver in history to win an F1 race, before going on to become a two-time world champion. His second stint came after his first year at McLaren, but on his return, the car’s performance was not the same as when he became world champion. From there, he made the move to Ferrari.
His third stint at Alpine came after his two-year retirement (also after spending his last season at McLaren), in 2021, which should have been, in the words of the Asturian, his last season in F1. However, after two seasons, sensing a lack of confidence and with constant rumours about his age, he decided to make the move to Aston Martin.
A hard blow for Alpine
It is often said that “you don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it.” Well, something like that happened at Alpine when Fernando Alonso announced that he would be leaving the team back in August 2022. That was all it took for the former Renault team to realize the mistake they had made. The team thought that this would be the Asturian driver’s last adventure in F1. They did not expect another team to offer him a new contract, among other things because they did not have confidence in his ability.
The Aston Martin project he was already working on at the time—which has turned out as it has—was already generating respect in the paddock, and the fact that Fernando Alonso was chosen to carry it out was a hard blow for the French team, which was aware that it had lost (again) a driver who was impossible to replace (and this has been evident ever since).
Alpine now acknowledges its mistake
It has taken almost three years since Fernando Alonso announced his departure from Alpine for the team to acknowledge the big mistake they made in not giving the Spanish driver the treatment he deserved. It was Renault CEO Luca de Meo who admitted that they did not act as they should have done.
“Alonso is an incredible guy and he slipped away from the Alpine team, and it was our mistake.” ”Maybe we didn’t treat him as we should have, but we still have a very good relationship. I respect him a lot, he’s a great champion, he’s a guy with grit.”
Luca de Meo had even more words of praise for the Oviedo native, and he knows what he is capable of, despite his age, if he is given a winning car.
“There are very few who have Fernando’s determination. He is a great driver, especially when you have a car that is… (winning, which he doesn’t have now). I hope he succeeds at Aston Martin because he deserves it.”
Fernando Alonso has fond memories of Renault, with whom he won his two world championships, experienced three different stages, and has always said he will be eternally grateful to them. But that’s F1, it’s usually the drivers who suffer, but in this case, it was the driver who dealt the blow.