Alonso elected as GPDA director

World champion Fernando Alonso has been appointed director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) along with Mark Webber and Ralf Schumacher, autosport.com can reveal

In a 45-minute meeting at the Shanghai circuit on Friday evening, the GPDA went ahead with nominating the board that they wished to represent them for the next 12 months.

It was agreed that Alonso, Webber and Ralf Schumacher will become directors, with the Toyota driver also becoming the new chairman to replace David Coulthard.

The former directors of the GPDA were Coulthard, Michael Schumacher and Jarno Trulli.

Alonso's involvement in the body is a major breakthrough for the GPDA, because the Renault driver had previously shied away from getting involved with the body and rarely attended the regular meetings at Grands Prix.

However, following a group email sent around by Alexander Wurz to try and persuade Alonso to come on board, the Spaniard duly attended Friday night's meeting - and was then voted in.

It is understood that Schumacher's stepping down from the GPDA, because of his imminent retirement, was a key factor in convincing Alonso to get involved.

Before the meeting, Alonso had said that he wanted the GPDA to start focusing more on safety rather than getting involved in political matters within the sport.

"The GPDA does things, but we should concentrate more on the safety and in what it cares about," he said when asked by autosport.com about the GPDA. "That is what the GPDA was made for."

Coulthard believes that the commitment of Alonso, Ralf Schumacher and Webber was a strong one to help carry the body forward.

"I think it is a great line-up," he told autosport.com. "Ralf has always been very proactive, certainly as a member, and likewise has Mark.

"Fernando has grown in confidence over the last couple of years, and it is important to have the current world champion on there.

"I will obviously still be involved from the Monaco side of things, where the office is based, because the other guys aren't based there. It is a very strong line-up that will just continue to build on the work already done."

Trulli added: "It was very important to have Fernando. We all have pushed him because it is important to have him on board as a world champion, and for sure it is significant."