Over the past two weeks, both Alonso and Alpine’s top dogs have expressed confidence that things will be resolved quickly. Alonso said Thursday that he thought it would only take a 10-minute conversation to resolve things.
That bit was probably true. It might not even have taken 10 minutes for me to say, “Guys, I’m out.”
Don’t kid yourself – this is a huge move in F1’s silly season. The Aston Martin seat vacated by the retired Sebastian Vettel was always going to be the key to the market, attracting a range of names. Alonso was naturally in the mix, having spoken to Lawrence Stroll about a deal ahead of his return to F1 with Alpine in 2021. Few could have expected things to move so quickly, however, especially Alpine.
Losing a driver of Alonso’s experience and caliber is a huge blow to the French team. At first glance, it seems to solve the problem of what to do with Oscar Piastri.
Alpine has been stuck in a classic “three drivers in two seats” conundrum that many F1 teams have faced in the past. He had Esteban Ocon on a long-term contract, Alonso performing well and reserve driver Piastri waiting in the wings with a junior record that is the envy of anyone on the F1 grid.
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi said in France that he was confident both Alonso and Piastri would compete in F1 next year, indicating that Alonso would stay and Piastri would be loaned out. Williams had been the young Australian’s expected destination, replacing Nicholas Latifi, but as time went on McLaren was also emerging as a possible landing spot should Daniel Ricciardo leave at the end of the season.
It was made clear from the start that Alpine did not want to lose Piastri. Rossi stressed that he would only be looking to loan him to another team, not let him go completely, which would have happened had he not secured an F1 seat for 2023. His faith in his future is complete.
Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Oscar Piastri, Alpine, Laurent Rossi, Alpine CEO
Photo by: Alpine
As much as Alpine didn’t want to lose Alonso, having Piastri in their back pocket would have given them support in the talks. Had Alonso gone to Alpine bosses and used Aston Martin’s interest as leverage for a better deal, it’s unlikely there would have been the same fear of what life would be like without Alonso. Piastri would solve this problem.
Or so it would seem. The fact that talks have dragged on for so long has led to some questions about Piastri and Alpine’s future together, and whether it may have opened the door for another team to swoop in and snap him up given that his agreement had several time-sensitive clauses. around the summer. There were increasing whispers during the Hungarian weekend that McLaren could be an option should Ricciardo leave, or even looking beyond 2024. If Alpine was so confident that Alonso would continue, it could have pass Piastri between the fingers?
While Piastri is still in their hands, Alpine’s priority will be to get him on the grid and start building a long-term future after Alonso. An Ocon/Piastri lineup may not have the experience or star power that Alonso has, but there’s no denying it’s an exciting prospect. Alpine will also finally achieve its goal of getting one of its youngsters into a working seat, albeit sooner than it would have predicted just a couple of weeks ago.
But the knock-on effect on the driver market goes far beyond Alonso going to Aston Martin and Piastri getting a shot at Alpine as a result. In fact, Alpine may not be the only team with a chance to cash in on a young driver they’ve backed and can now plan on for the long term.
For Williams, bringing Piastri on loan from Alpine may have been good in many ways, giving a bright young driver a chance. However, it also made no sense if he was going to help develop Piastri only to have him leave in a year or two.
If Williams wanted to take a long-term view and invest in its own talent, then Logan Sargeant, the leading member of its young driver academy who is currently third in the Formula 2 standings, was a more sensible choice. Sargeant missed out on the F3 title to Piastri in 2020 by just four points, and has bounced back from financial setbacks to impress in his new F2 campaign this year.
Williams boss Jost Capito admitted in France that it would be a “good headache” if Sargeant became an option for an F1 seat next year. Frankly, for a team looking to build for the future and one that has American owners, putting a young American driver on the grid could be the best move they can make.
The winner of the Logan Sargeant race, Carlin
Photograph by: Williams
Another candidate for Williams would be Nyck de Vries, who he considered for this year before finally signing Alex Albon as Latifi’s partner. De Vries is highly rated by Capito and has won his titles in F2 and Formula E, but at 27, he may have a lower ceiling than Sargeant at 21 and lacks the commercial drive to land a driver grilled American, which it would be. they also have great appeal for F1.
As it was last year following George Russell’s move to Mercedes, Williams’ open seat is one that could be quite powerful in the offseason and doesn’t need to be filled immediately. Sargeant has yet to get the necessary F1 superlicence points, but he will if he remains in title contention, and if you’re a driver in need of a seat, he could be an option.
It’s for the same reason that Alonso’s Aston Martin confirmation means things may have taken a slight turn for Ricciardo too. The Australian has been clear in his commitment to see out his three-year contract with McLaren which expires at the end of next season, but Zak Brown’s comment in May about “mechanisms” within his contract allowing for an early exit , the links. in Piastri and the flurry of IndyCar drivers signed to McLaren’s driver pool has done little to quell doubts about his future.
Ricciardo’s best move, without a doubt, is not to move. But if things got to a point where the only option was a distance change, then would Aston Martin have been a viable landing spot? It is unlikely. For all his talent and success, Ricciardo did not fit the slick image that Aston Martin has been pursuing with its team under Stroll’s ownership. If the commitment from both parties to make it work for Ricciardo at Woking is concrete, Alonso’s move will change nothing. But in the event that he parted ways with McLaren, there is now one less alternative option on the table.
In just a few days, we’ve had one F1 great hang up his helmet and another commit to a few more years on the grid.
The decisions will have huge ramifications on the driver market and have already turned the silly season on its head, just as the paddock planned to put their feet up during the summer break.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images