Fernando Alonso and Alpine face the Singapore GP with a renewed spirit thanks to the update of the A522. The weekend will be very special for the Spaniard as he will become the driver with the most Grand Prix wins in the history of Formula 1.
Alpine did not win a prize at the Italian GP. The retirement due to breakdown of Fernando Alonso and the eleventh place of Esteban Ocon left the team without points in the Italian GP, a situation that had only occurred once in the entire season. Curiously, it was also in Italy, on the occasion of the Emilia Romagna GP.
For this reason, the start of the last phase of the season away from Europe is the perfect setting to turn the page. Alpine will also do so with novelties in the A522, since the single-seater of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon will open a new floor on the urban circuit that gives life to the Singapore GP.
Fernando Alonso: “We hope to return to our usual competitive level in Singapore”
scenario of which Fernando Alonso He has fond memories and in which he will go down in Formula 1 history this Sunday by becoming the driver with the most Grand Prix races. Without giving more importance to this milestone, the Spaniard analyzes: «It’s been intense weeks in Europe. We came out of the triple header with 18 points, we had two solid races and the car works well. Unfortunately, we had to pick up the car in Italy».
«The car didn’t feel as strong at Monza as in the previous two weekends. This has been investigated to try to understand it. We hope it will return to our usual competitive level in Singapore. The whole team has been hard at work on a new update for this race. I’m excited about it and to see what it produces» added Fernando Alonso.
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new floor
On a visual level, the Alpine A522 will be very similar to previous races, but not the less visible part of the car, as Pat Fry explains: “We brought a completely new floor for both cars this weekend that will also be used in Japan. Visually the car is not very different from the previous version, since most of the development is below. It should give us a performance level step».
Highlighting the good work that the team has done, Fry points out that “in recent races we have managed to bring a set of evolutions to the car and all have worked as expected. We have a few more updates to bring before we start chilling you out in Austin at the end of October. Everyone at Enstone has worked to meet the development goals».
Ocon’s analysis
Stephen Ocon He knows, like Alonso and the rest of the drivers, that the Singapore GP is one of the toughest of the season: «The Marina Bay street circuit is one of the most physically demanding. The track is very tight and twisty and when you add heat and humidity, the race becomes really tough for both the car and the driver.”
Continuing with his analysis, the Frenchman explains that “the general configuration is between Monaco and Hungary, so ugood downforce is key. The city has a great atmosphere and running at night is always special. It’s good to go back there and hope we can do well as a team and put on a good show for the fans.”
Photos: Alpine