Fernando Alonso and Otmar Szafnauer say any talks to extend the Spaniard's contract will not start until F1's summer break has begun, at the end of July. At 40, Alonso is both the oldest and the most experienced driver on the current grid, having come back to F1 last year with Alpine following two years out of the sport. Though he took a few races to get fully up to speed upon his return, Alonso outscored teammate Esteban Ocon last year and has maintained his good form in 2022, scoring a season's best fifth place last time out at the British Grand Prix. With Alonso's initial Alpine contract set to expire this year, the Spaniard has previously expressed an interest in prolonging his stay at the Enstone outfit, and it had been widely thought that an extension would be in the offing. However, Alonso has said that any negotiations would not take place until after the Hungarian Grand Prix, on July 31. "So far, we didn't really start any negotiations," Alonso told media including RacingNews365.com . "My aim, as I've said, is to continue. But until the summer break, I want to concentrate this July. "We have [three] races [until then] and I need to score points because the first nine races have been a little bit unlucky for me."
Szafnauer echoes Alonso's thoughts
Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer echoed Alonso's thoughts that any contract discussions would occur during F1's summer break. "We haven't really started talking in detail with Fernando yet, but you know now that I'm sure we'll do that just after the break," Szafnauer told media including RacingNews365.com . Alonso currently lies tenth in the 2022 F1 Drivers' Championship with 28 points. Alpine are fifth in the Constructors' standings with 67 points.
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