Wild speculation over the Dutch Grand Prix weekend suggested that Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll had urged the Spaniard to leave Alpine and join the Silverstone-based team for 2022.
The stories were fueled by a lunch Stroll had with Alonso’s manager Flavio Briatore during the summer break.
That was before Alonso and Alpine agreed to take an option to extend their F1 partnership until next year, and Aston Martin has yet to confirm current driver Sebastian Vettel’s contract for 2022.
However, since Aston Martin is about to sign a deal with Vettel, the team has rejected the idea of signing Alonso.
A spokesman for the team said: “Lawrence Stroll did not offer Fernando Alonso a ride, as reported in some media.
“Lawrence had lunch with me [Alonso’s manager] Flavio Briatore during the summer break in Sardinia. Lawrence and Flavio are friends. They often had lunch together in Sardinia for many years. It was a social occasion, nothing more. “
Lawrence Stroll, owner, Aston Martin F1
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer said he expected formal talks with Vettel to finalize his new contract in the next few weeks, with the deal expected to be confirmed before the end of the season.
“We have a process that we go through and that we record in our contracts,” he said in Zandvoort. “While I don’t like to talk about the details, there are certain time milestones.
“These are coming in the next few weeks and once we pass them we will certainly make the necessary announcements.”
Vettel joined Aston Martin this year after a frustrating end to his Ferrari career.
Despite a difficult start to the campaign, in which he was hampered in pre-season tests, he is making good progress and, with second place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, provided the team’s only podium so far.
The German also finished second on the road at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but was disqualified because his car ran out of fuel for the legality check after the race.
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