Alonso found conspiracy theories over F1 contract saga “sad and annoying”

Alonso was the first major domino to fall in silly season when he announced a shock move from Alpine to Aston Martin for 2023 on the first day of the summer break.

It prompted Alpine to announce reserve driver Oscar Piastri as Alonso’s replacement for next year, only for Piastri to deny he had signed a deal as he angled for a move to McLaren, which confirmed Daniel Ricciardo’s exit earlier this week.

Amid the driver market madness, links were made between…