The major new addition to the Formula One team has caught Fernando Alonso.
David Sanchez recently moved from one of Fernando Alonso’s previous teams, McLaren, to Alpine, where he now serves as the executive technical director for the F1 struggles.
Fernando Alonso, formerly of McLaren and Alpine, currently competes for Aston Martin.
David Sanchez’s hiring as technical director is not going to be enough to turn around the fortunes of Fernando Alonso’s previous Alpine squad.
This season, one of the more unexpected team switches has involved Sanchez. After leaving Ferrari last year, he joined McLaren in January. However, it was revealed in April that the Spaniard would be departing the position after just three months.
At the time, McLaren team manager Andrea Stella stated, “The role, responsibilities, and aspirations associated with David’s employment did not fit with our original expectations.” Sanchez was free to sign with another team after leaving by mutual consent, which Alpine had revealed earlier this month.
Like the rest of us, Alonso, a former driver for both of the relevant teams, observed the movement with interest. In response to the question of whether he thought bringing in Sanchez was a wise decision for Alpine, he said, “It is.
I mean, all the technical directors, senior people, and designers in Formula 1 have extraordinary knowledge about the cars, and they are all highly competent and a very good asset to any team,” the former Aston Martin driver continued, cautioning his former company.
Alpine will undoubtedly gain from that, but as we have frequently observed, a single individual cannot entirely transform a squad. It’s a collaborative effort that needs to be developed, so let’s see what happens in the future. However, I’m hoping Alpine can move forward now.
As it happens, Alonso’s current employment is a bigger cause for concern. With a competitive car, especially in the first half of the season, the Aston Martin was the surprise package of the 2023 season, allowing the Spaniard to collect eight podiums.
