Szafnauer had "no intention" of leaving Aston Martin amid Alpine rumours

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has insisted he had "no intention" to leave Aston Martin before departing over the winter.

Szafnauer's switch to the Enstone and Viry-based outfit was mooted towards the end of the 2021 season when rumours surfaced of a reshuffle in Alpine's management structure.

A statement was swiftly released by Szafnauer dismissing the "sensationalised" rumours as a "spiral of misinformation".

But in January, Szafnauer left Aston Martin and joined Alpine the following month with Marcin Budkowski departing the French manufacturer.

Asked why his position had changed, Szafnauer replied: "Well, time moved on.

"At that point, there was no intention of leaving but as time moved on and things changed at Aston, then I thought it was better for all parties that I looked elsewhere."

On whether Alpine had everything it needs to succeed in F1, Szafnauer said: "Great potential, like-minded people pulling in the same direction, wanting to do well.

They have got a great history there, they have won before, good infrastructure so really looking forward to working with them all."

Alonso "as hungry as ever" - Szafnauer

By moving to Alpine, Szafnauer reunites with Esteban Ocon, who he worked with when at Force India and Racing Point.

On the other side of the garage is Fernando Alonso and asked for his first impressions of the Spaniard, Szafnauer suggested the double world champion was "still as hungry as ever".

"[He] wants to do really well and pushes the team. A very competitive individual so looking forward to working with him."

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