When the moment of truth arrived, the Alpine team wall turned its gazes towards the strategist when it found that only 4 pilots out of 20 had opted for the softer Pirelli compound, evidencing the tension in the environment.
For several years now, in Formula 1, drivers have started the race with the tire used to go from Q2 to Q3, being able to make use of the compound that they please once they are in the last qualifying round with no consequences on Sunday.
However, one of the most significant changes of the weekend with the introduction of the classification to the sprint consisted of giving absolute freedom to the pilots (in terms of tires) to tackle the classification with up to 5 games of soft, discarding this condition. Additionally, the FIA allowed teams to decide for themselves which compound to go with sprint, without having to go through boxes in a race of just 100 kilometers.
This triggered a moment of great uncertainty That was solved when the 20 cars were left alone on the grid and the tires they were going to use were discovered. “There was a time when all the teams took off the blankets on the grid, we were on the wall and we saw everyone’s tires,” said Marcin Budkowski, CEO of Alpine.
«We thought more people would get away with the soft, but only we rode it besides Valtteri and Kimi, there wasn’t much else! In the end it was a team decision, but the strategists were pretty sure it was the right thing to do. There are 6 of us on the wall, and 5 of us turn to Matthieu Dubous, our chief strategy officer, who looked at us as if to say … ‘Okay, either we just got it right or we were grossly wrong, let’s find out! In the end they were right, I take my hat off for them », he revealed with a laugh.
Top-notch pilot
Once they had everything under control, Budkowski went on to praise Fernando Alonso’s performance on the track, a start and a first lap that will be etched on the retinas of many fans. «I was not here in 2005-2006, but at Ferrari, but some have told me that these were the outings that Fernando used to do“, started.
«This is part of how smart it is, a little fox exploiting every opportunity on the track. We know that his piloting is unsurpassed, he is exceptional in that and also has a bit of experience, “continued the Alpine president, marveling at his pupil.
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“We have seen Fernando do well, Seb and Kimi, so maybe there are drivers who are capable of smelling these kinds of opportunities. It is something different, an alternative format, with different circumstances, and perhaps some were cautious when attacking. We have seen it in Baku with Fernando: when he smells blood he goes for every possible hole and every opportunityBudkowski closed.