STATEMENT
Very bad news coming from Oviedo, Spain this morning. Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso decided to retire from the sport.
His team Alpine confirmed this in an official statement which was published on their website.
"We are sorry to confirm that our driver Fernando Alonso will no longer be part of our team from 2022. We would like to say thank you to Fernando for all the memories in the Renault days, but also for this amazing comeback year. Fernando's replacement to be confirmed in the following days."
With Fernando's surprised retirement, it is expected that his replacement will be 2021 Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri.
Fernando won 2 world championships with the Enstone team in 2005 and 2006. This was his third stint with the French manufacturer and everything was coming nicely for a big rule change from 2022, so this decision was definitely not expected.
Fernando had a signed deal for 2022 and recently stated that he wants to continue in Formula 1 for at least another 2 or 3 years.
Of course, it is still unknown what were the reasons, but here is an emotional message from Fernando after Alpine published the news.
Fernando's emotional message (VIDEO)
