Otmar Szafnauer says no problem with Fernando Alonso despite surprise Aston Martin move

Otmar Szafnauer says he has no problem with Fernando Alonso despite the Spaniard’s surprise Aston Martin move for next season.

Alonso made the announcement on the Monday after the Hungarian Grand Prix that he was trading Alpine for Aston Martin, in a move that many did not see coming at the time.

Whilst it was possible it could have been agreed further down the line after Sebastian Vettel’s retirement news, the sheer speed at which the deal was agreed was what caught many by surprise and we’ve seen plenty of ripples since because of that, involving the likes of Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo.

For Alonso, though, the future is settled with him heading to Aston and, after Otmar Szafnauer had been expecting him to take more time to weigh up his future going into the summer, it was put to him during the team boss press conference on Saturday at the Belgian Grand Prix that their relationship might be a bit strained due to recent events.

“No, not at all,” Szafnauer said in response, however.

“I tell the truth and like it is. When I left Fernando on Sunday, he told me ‘Look, don’t worry, we’ve got time, I’m going to be on my boat in Greece, over the holiday.’

“So that’s all I knew. He invited me for a coffee. He said if you’re in Greece, come to my boat for a coffee.

“And I said if I happen to be there, I’ll look you up. And that’s it. I didn’t follow where he was going on holiday. But for sure on Sunday, he told me he was going to be on his boat in Greece. Whether that happened or not, I don’t know.”

Alonso appeared to be in Spain the day after the Hungarian GP, rather than in Greece, as the Aston Martin announcement was made but, regardless, it seems he and Otmar still remain on amicable terms and they’ll be looking to