Alpine praise "fully committed" Alonso

Sam Hall
Wednesday 28 September 2022 14:51

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that Fernando Alonso remains "fully committed" despite his upcoming move to Aston Martin.

Alonso sparked the driver transfer market into overdrive when announcing his surprise move to replace Sebastian Vettel for the 2023 season.

Although four-time champion F1 Vettel is set to retire at the end of the year, team principal Mike Krack has stated the German has continued to give direction.

Asked if Alonso remains as involved in the future of Alpine, Szafnauer said: "Absolutely, he's doing absolutely the same.

"He's telling us about the areas where the car felt good and the things that we can improve on and what we should be doing for the next race. We didn't really talk about next year's car yet.

"But yeah, Fernando is fully committed to doing the best he can until the end."

Alonso is ninth in the drivers' standings - one place and seven points behind team-mate Esteban Ocon.

Alpine is yet to confirm who will replace the two-time champion, with Pierre Gasly believed to be a leading contender despite still being contracted to Red Bull's sister team AlphaTauri.

Pressed on how his personal relationship with Alonso has changed since the Spaniard confirmed his departure, Szafnauer added: "It's no different."