Good news for Fernando Alonso, who after having used three engines in three races, has so far only lost the one in Saudi Arabia. Otmar Szafnauer has also offered information on the performance of the engine.
Fernando Alonso’s start to the season has been quite depressing in the sense that reliability has forced him to use the three engines that the regulations establish as the maximum limit for the entire season.
But, after various analyzes at the Viry-Chatillon factory, Alpine has confirmed that only one of them is unusable. Indeed, the engine that broke in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been scrapped, but the one that gave problems in Bahrain will be able to continue to rack up the miles, just like the one in Australia.
“Imola will be a good circuit for us”
This has been confirmed by Otmar Szafnauer, who joked with Fernando Alonso by saying: “Don’t worry, there won’t be 23 in 23 races!” The director of Alpine, more seriously, pointed out that «the one from Bahrain can be used again. It was a precautionary measure to test a few things on the dynamometer and the test went well. So that engine will be used again.”.
An engine that this year has seen a notable improvement in performance, although Otmar Szafnauer admits that it is still slightly below the leaders in terms of power. “We think we have taken a step forward with the power unit and that we are perhaps 10 hp away from the best. We are somewhere in between. So I think Viry did an excellent job. And now it’s up to us to further develop the car.”
More news in Imola
On a more general level, Szafnauer confirms that Alpine will bring some new parts to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix which is celebrated in Imola between the 22nd and the 24th of April.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone brings an upgrade to Imola”, acknowledges the Romanian leader. “In the 25 years that I have been here, it seems that the first European races are where everyone plans their improvement. It used to be Barcelona, now it’s Imola.”
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“But it is also the fourth race. Around the fourth or fifth race everyone brings improvements, so do we. I think it will be a good track for us»anticipates Szafnauer.
The truth is Fernando Alonso He has been very competitive at the start of the season, but his reliability has prevented him from scoring points according to his potential. Nevertheless, Stephen Ocon He was less fast, but without any breakdowns he was seventh in the championship with 20 points.
“Imola has characteristics that other circuits also have, so we will be fast like other places. Our car is strong in some areas and although it has no weak points, it is not as strong in others.”reflects Szafnauer, who hopes to see a competitive Alpine team again on Italian soil.
Source: Motorsport-total.com
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Photos: Alpine F1 Team