Almost a month of vacation later, Alpine is back with the firm intention of holding on with all its might to fourth position in the constructors’ championship before losing Fernando Alonso for 2023.
The fourth best team on the grid From 2022, at least according to what the constructors’ championship classification says at this point in the season with just 4 points more than McLaren, it returns to action at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Improving the 6 points that their two riders managed to collect last year in Belgium will be the main objective of an Alpine that is about to start the second stage of the year aware that it still has a important decision What to take for 2023: the pilot who will be Esteban Ocon’s partner, since Fernando Alonso will set course for Aston Martin.
«I want to enjoy the rest of the season with Alpine; we can still achieve many things together»
At the moment, those commanded by Otmar Szafnauer in the circuits have not achieved any podium at this time, something that did happen last year, although hope in the French team continues without being lost.
transcendental circuit
Of the 32 victories that Fernando Alonso has achieved in Formula 1, none of them has been on the asphalt of the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. His best result on Belgian soil has been the 2nd position that closed in 2005 hand in hand with Renault and which he repeated in 2013 together with Ferrari, with a 3rd place in 2007 with McLaren as his other podium there.
“We all miss the races in August, but the time off to recharge our batteries is necessary,” Alonso mused aloud about his vacation. “After 20 years competing at the pinnacle of motorsport, I have learned that taking time to recover is very important, especially during such a hectic year. Now that we have over 20 races in a season, it’s even more important to make sure you maximize your recovery time,” he continued.
«I like to run in Spa. It is one of the most historic races on the calendar. We normally have interesting races there as the circuit lends itself to a lot of overtaking opportunities. Also, the weather is always varied, so there may be some surprises. We wouldn’t mind if it rained this weekend, as the car behaves quite well in those conditions. We want to give a show to the fans, especially after last year, “confessed #14.
The Asturian has 9 races ahead of him along with Alpine before changing scenery. «I want to enjoy the rest of the season with Alpine after a very strong first half of the year. We can still achieve a lot of things together, and I am going to push myself until the last race in Abu Dhabi », she acknowledged.
“We can still achieve a lot of things together, and I am going to push myself until the last race in Abu Dhabi”
“Our target is to finish fourth in the constructors’ championship, and I think we will be in a close battle with McLaren for the rest of the season. We have shown a great development in the first half of the year and we have consistently outperformed our closest rivals on the track in recent races. We have to maintain this strong pace of development at both factories if we want to maintain our position,” Alonso concluded.
Clear objectives
For its part, Stephen Ocon ratified the words of his teammate about the Spa circuit. “It’s a place I know most drivers enjoy driving, including myself. It is even more special to me as it is where I made my Formula 1 debut in 2016. It was a moment I will never forget, a moment when a dream came true”, he stated.
“In terms of performance, there have been some good results in the past like when I qualified third in 2018 and when we finished fourth and fifth in the race in 2020. It’s also the track where we also lost Anthoine a few years ago. We always run with him in our thoughts and I personally still think of him every day.”
The triplet with which Formula 1 returns is “probably the hardest and longest part of the season” for Szafnauer, who does not forget the “small changes on the track for safety reasons” in Spa for this edition.
«We played a lot in the championship. We left Budapest at the end of July in fourth place in the constructors’ championship and our goal is simple: we want to be in the same position at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi.”