The head of the Renault Group puts a note on Fernando Alonso’s 2021 season, reveals how long it will take them to develop ‘The Plan’ and what can be expected of them in 2022 with a renewed engine and aerodynamics.
The 2021 season came to an end, with Mercedes’ permission and pending appeal, with the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With her he also concluded Alpine’s first year in Formula 1, a formation born from the restructured ashes of Renault to give rise to a project that intends to be a winner in the medium term.
The fundamental pillar of this project is Fernando Alonso: at 40, # 14 returned to the ‘Gran Circo’ with part of what was his old team in the glorious years of 2005 and 2006, a year before the revolution was established 2022 regulations to carry out a intensive ‘heating’ with which to grease the machinery for what is to come.
Loading tweet …
1470658677279313920
While fifth place in the constructors’ championship “is not where we want to end any season,” according to Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine Cars, Alonso’s podium in Qatar and Esteban Ocon’s victory in Hungary are enough of a joy for Luca of Meo.
“The fifth position is a good result,” admitted the CEO of the Renault Group, who was satisfied with “Not take a step back in a transitional season” after many changes and fighting in the distance “against McLaren, which has a much more powerful and new engine”.
Alonso: exceeds expectations
Leaving aside that Red Bull and Mercedes have «A power that we do not yet have»Having managed to score in 19 of the 22 Grand Prix on the longest calendar in the history of Formula 1 reinforces its image of consistency, laying the foundations for a solid approach.
“The only thing I ask of you is to be a little godfather of the whole team,” he acknowledged as a request to Alonso, a demand that the Asturian has more than met according to de Meo. «It is what he has done, even better than i could imagine. I am very happy with what he has done “, he pointed out about the 2021 of the two-time champion.
“He is never happy, because he wants to do his job well, it is his way of being, but we are very happy. And also with the relationship he has built with the entire team, the technicians, engineers, mechanics and Ocon, “he added.
The plan
Will Alonso continue in Formula 1 beyond 2022? For de Meo, ‘The Plan’ will be the way to convince him to do so, but «Then he has to find the motivation». Precisely the loss of motivation was one of the reasons for his ‘See you later’ to the premier category of motorsport at the end of the 2018 season, eager to find new challenges in other leagues.
However, at the moment Meo does not believe that this is going to be a problem today. “I see him hypermotivated, I don’t think there is a better place for him than to continue,” he guaranteed. «Fernando has another level, is one of the legends of this sport. We will always help him, before and after F1 ».
«It is a minimum between three and five years; it will depend on many things »
After confessing that «In the end I started to cry» When mentioning the battle that his pupil had with Hamilton in Hungary, since “it was the way of saying that the decision we made a few months before was the good one”, de Meo specified what exactly ‘The Plan’ means to him.
“In the language of the companies it is a minimum between three and five years”, a whole development for “Be competitive, win races regularly” and, at the end of the whole, aspire to win the world championship. Far from being something mathematical, since “it will depend on many things”, de Meo prefers not to promise anything and let the results speak for themselves.
And in 2022?
Finally, Luca de Meo noticed the disadvantages that he has found in his adventure in Formula 1, predicting a new change in trend starting next year with new tools and a new ceiling for growth.
«We traditionally had a few handicap on the subject of aerodynamics on the subject of engine architecture», He revealed. «This car was already 3 years old, it had reached the end of its life cycle. The car is going to have much more development potential than the current one, which has reached the limit, “he explained, stating that” mechanically you take away a disadvantage “with the 2022 regulations.
“We are going to change the architecture of next year’s engine: there will be more horsepower”
«We are going to change the architecture of the engine next year: a much finer motor“They will be more horses,” concluded de Meo, aware that starting on the right foot in the Barcelona preseason will mean a lot for his team.