On October 9, 2022, in the classification of the Australian Grand Prixhe Alpine of Fernando Alonso suffered a failure in the hydraulic system that caused the Spaniard to crash into the protections in the middle of the fast lap. Alonso got out of the car with obvious signs of pain, although he was able to participate in the race the following day.
Eleven months later, the man from Oviedo has revealed that the impact caused fractures in several fingers of his hand and that he could not recover until the summer break. Alonso ran 11 Grand Prix assuming the risk that any accident would cause a more serious injury.
When asked in Bahrain due to the injury that drags Lance StrollAlonso revealed his physical problems: “Last year I broke some bones in my hand, so it wasn’t until August that I was fully recovered. He was in some pain, but we love to drive.”
His bad relationship with Alpine
The injury occurred in full negotiations for the renewal of his contract. Alonso’s demands to sign for two seasons clashed with the claims of otmar szafnauerAlpine’s sports director, who only offered him a one-year extension, which generated great tension between the team and the rider, and a loss would have further complicated the situation.
Oscar Piastri was on the lookout
The main reason Alpine only offered Alonso one year was the presence of Oscar Piastri in the team’s young pilots academy. The Australian, who was the French bet on the future at the time, would have replaced Alonso, and if he had performed at a good level, Szafnauer would have had a compelling reason to do without Alonso.
Age played against him
It is never easy to adapt to the demands of Formula 1 when a driver leaves the ‘great circus’, and even less if it happens at the gates of 41 years. Alonso could not afford to lose the rhythm of the competition when he was in good shape and chose to continue competing despite the pain.
