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via Imago

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Like happiness, money cannot buy success and that’s true for Aston Martin as well. The investment Lawrence Stroll made in the team was the key factor in the team’s recent success currently being led by Fernando Alonso. However, long before the Spaniard came and reaped rewards from the team’s hard work, there was another man leading the line and he is demanding the credit he deserves.

We are talking about a Formula 1 veteran and current team principal of Alpine Otmar Szafnauer.  Szafnauer was part of Aston Martin throughout the transitional period. Despite leaving the British team in January 2022, the Alpine boss is taking credit for the team’s current success. He revealed his reasons in a conversation with SoyMotor.

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“There is a lot of talk about Dan Fallows and Eric Blandin and their work on the current car, but… who signed them?” asked Romanian and continued, “And along with them other technicians from Red Bull or Mercedes have come to the Silverstone team. But so that these signings could It took time to make a difference, because first they have to respect the ‘gardening’, which in high-profile figures is always long, and then they have to start working in the new team, integrate, before starting to do things.”

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Read More: Alpine Honcho Counts the “Amateurish” F1 Team’s 2023 Blunders

Most would believe the ugly separation from Alonso might’ve motivated the Alpine boss to make these comments. However, his comments about the Spaniard don’t reflect the same.

Otmar Szafnauer cannot help but appreciate the greatness of Fernando Alonso

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An unexpected early separation caused a lot of drama and possibly left some bad blood between the team and Alonso. Alonso decided to jump ship because of the number of DNF he suffered due to no fault of his own. However, despite being vocal about the poor experience with Alpine, Szafnauer does not hold grudges towards the Spaniard.

via Reuters

“He is still very motivated and lives for this. The question will be the age that reaches us all, I have no idea when or if that will happen,” he said. “I don’t know, since he’s there, I can only see what I see from the outside. I think that Fernando Alonso, who is still very motivated, lives for this, so I think that the motivation is absolutely still there.”

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WATCH THIS STORY: Will Fernando Alonso & Aston Martin Be a Top F1 Championship Contender Soon?

Every driver works towards his individual goal and the ultimate goal of winning the championship. Even if Alonso left Alpine high and dry before the 2023 season, there is definitely no bad blood between him and the French team. Or at least with his former boss.