The social media has been flooded in recent days with stories about Alonso moving to Red Bull or about to retire. This was triggered by an enigmatic tweet from Spanish television journalist Albert Fabrega, hinting at a big developing story in the paddock.
Although Fabrega never specified what the rumor was about, this triggered a frenzy that it involved a major twist in the driver market involving Alonso.
But while the talk of the two-time world champion racing anywhere other than Aston Martin next year was completely dismissed, Alonso made it clear before the Brazilian Grand Prix that he was unhappy with the rampant speculation.
“They are just rumors, normal paddock rumors, from people who are just trying to have fun and gain some followers, and those things,” he said when asked about the situation.
“But I don’t play that game.”
Alonso stated that he thought the actions of some in spreading the speculation were not right, as he said in a press briefing that he had a negative view of what had happened.
“I’m not liking [this] because even in this room, I appreciate that all of you are journalists, professionals, who have been in F1 for so many years,” he said.
“You have earned your respect, and that’s how it should be. So, all the rumors come from people who are not in this room, they are just here to have fun and I don’t think it’s funny when they joke about anything.”
What Alonso explained he was particularly unhappy about was that links with Red Bull, or that he was losing faith in the Aston Martin project, could lead some to question his loyalty.
“Of course, that’s what they are doing, but I will make sure there are consequences,” he said, although he refused to elaborate on exactly what he meant by that.
No one happy with the current form
While Aston Martin is going through a difficult time at the moment, having faced its fair share of difficulties since an upgrade arrived at the United States GP, Alonso said it was important to remember the bigger picture of the progress made by the team this year.
“Obviously, we are not as competitive as we want,” he said. “And we are all trying to reach our best level, which obviously is not what we are showing now.”
“But we are analyzing some of the updates we brought recently. Here in Brazil, we have a sprint format, so maybe it’s a more traditional weekend for us, not experimenting as much as the last two.”
“Obviously, we are not happy. Mike [Krack] is not happy, no one is happy with the current form. But at the same time, I said a few races ago, this team had 250 people two years ago, now we are in this transition to hopefully be a contender for the future with 800 people and a new factory.”
“Seven podiums this year, 200 points more than last year, all these things that are not the current form. We should not be happy, but we also cannot be too dramatic about the situation when this 2023 campaign has been a super season for us.”
