"It was an open secret"- Fernando Alonso moving to Aston Martin didn't surprise Haas team principal
Fernando Alonso's departure to Aston Martin was an open secret, according to Haas boss Guenther Steiner.
As a guest on the RacingNews365 podcast, Steiner was asked for his reaction to Alonso's move to Aston Martin. According to the Haas boss, that was an open secret in the paddock because as soon as Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement, the talks were quite open. Steiner did however admit that Oscar Piastri's move was a bit of a shock for him. He said:
“It was an open secret that Fernando was talking to Aston Martin when Vettel left, and I wasn’t that surprised by that. Piastri was seen as an ‘Alpine driver’ in my opinion, they brought him up, brought him to this level and helped him, so I thought for sure he’d be driving there in F1 after Fernando left. I think there’s more behind it, but I don’t have any details of it.”
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Speaking about Mick Schumacher's contract situation, Steiner revealed there had not been any discussions between the two parties yet. He said:
“I don’t really know what Mick has done, and we have not spoken about a drive for next year with Mick. He hasn’t spoken to us and we haven’t spoken to him – we want to see what’s happening. This Aston Martin thing happened very quickly and so nobody had time to really think about it, but there were rumors he [Schumacher] could replace Vettel, but that went away pretty quick. We didn’t look at what other people were doing.”
Fernando Alonso's reasoning behind signing for Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso has shared his reasoning behind signing for Aston Martin as well. The Spaniard said the influx of proven talent into the team was the reason why he made the move. In a press release by Aston Martin, Alonso said:
“This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to win, and it is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula One today. I have known Lawrence [Stroll] and Lance [Stroll] for many years and it is very obvious that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula One.”
“I have watched as the team has systematically attracted great people with winning pedigrees, and I have become aware of the huge commitment to new facilities and resources at Silverstone. No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me.”
Fernando Alonso further added:
“I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organisation that is committed to learn, develop and succeed. We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance.”
“The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport. I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me.”
It will be interesting to see the outcome of Fernando Alonso's move. One thing, however, can be said for sure is that it has kicked up quite a storm.