Whenever summer arrives, the teams begin to assess the best time to abandon the development of this season’s car to focus on the next one. It seems that Fernando Alonso and Alpine have different points of view.
It is law of Formula 1: whenever the season approaches its halfway doubts arise in the teams about the approach to adopt for the rest of the competition. And it is that developing the single-seater with which one competes at that moment can become secondary if the expectations set at the beginning of the season have not been met.
The time has come, the teams with the least to lose they usually bet everything or almost everything on the following season, focusing on the development of the car with which they will compete in the future.
That is something that those fighting for important things, such as the world title or a relevant position in the constructors’ championship, cannot afford. Y Alpine is halfway of both worlds.
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Fernando Alonso thinks big
A few weeks ago, Alpine even set itself the goal of catching up with Mercedes in the July races, but at the moment this aspiration seems impossible to materialize.
“Certainly, it will not be easy for us,” admits a Fernando Alonso who seems aware that the reigning constructors’ champion is out of Alpine’s reach. “Mercedes is a great team and we knew sooner or later they would hit us back.. It is a medium to long-term project for us, if we want to improve as much as they do.”
For that reason, Fernando Alonso believes that the most sensible thing is to focus on the 2023 car and complete the current season with the updates already planned and developed, but without going further.
“That’s why I think it will be important for us to switch to next year’s car as quickly as possible., so that we do not have to assume any commitment”, asks Alonso to Alpine. “Great teams can start with the new car and at the same time continue to improve the current one. For other teams it is a greater challenge.
the slow curves
One of the aspects in which the Alpine A522 is less competitive is in the slow corners, where inferior formations allow themselves the luxury of overtaking Fernando Alonso’s team.
“In some corners we are a bit behind. Slow corners are not our strong point at the moment. We saw that in Baku, where there are a lot of slow corners. Other cars were stronger there, “recalls the Spanish driver.
“AlphaTauri took fifth place and Aston Martin was also very strong. Therefore, in some circuits, these teams can prosper”, warns Alonso, surely thinking of the Hungaroring.
There will be development as long as there is money
When Otmar Szafnauer has been asked about the development plans for the Alpine A522 to which Fernando Alonso has made reference, the answer has been different from what the two-time world champion surely expected.
“We said at the beginning of the year that the key to this season would be development.. The learning curve is very steep”, begins by arguing the director of Alpine, who considers it important to squeeze and learn as much as possible about the new regulation in its first season of implementation.
«You have to take advantage and continue to obtain performance in the factory. We’ll keep doing it until we run out of money.”ditch Otmar Szafnauer, referring to the budget limit of Formula 1 and confirming that Alpine has no plans, for the moment, to abandon the development of the A522.
can check the Spanish pilot first hand if said approach will bear the expected fruits in 2023?
Font: Motorsport-total.com
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Photos: Alpine F1 Team
