Contrary to what many fans may think after what was seen in the pre-season tests, Alonso maintains the faith intact in ‘The Plan’ that he has launched together with Alpine in his final stage in Formula 1.
Nor the 66 laps on a first day in which mechanical problems significantly altered the planned program or the 111 of the second test day in Bahrain make fans look favorably on Alpine’s project in Formula 1 just over a week before the first Grand Prix of 2022 is held.
A preventive stop in the afternoon session made jump all alarms on the wall of the Gallic team, precisely after spending all day accumulating kilometers without excessive setbacks, some good news that went into the background when seeing the mechanics disassemble the A522 at forced marches in search of a new leak.
“Obviously yesterday we had a strange day. We had a few issues that we tackled in the afternoon, especially when I got on, so it wasn’t the laps we wanted, but it was we made some progress. I felt that the car was better than in Barcelona, that’s for sure”, Fernando Alonso analyzed speaking of the first day of testing in Bahrain, when things were not much better.
“We have brought some new things here and there are more to come in the next few days, and hopefully in the first race. Everyone is working hard, I am happy and I am optimistic that we will improve a lot in the next few days, and especially in the first race », he added.
No big bragging
Despite not encountering major problems in Barcelona, ignoring the mistakes of the last day, Alonso assures that in Bahrain “we find a good surprise» discovering that the car behaves well in vastly different conditions.
“I think the car works well in high temperatures, we have not had any problems with the cooling systems, the brakes or with all the characteristics that Bahrain has compared to Barcelona. Everything was working fine, as I said, we are more optimistic than a week ago,” Alonso continued, predicting a steep learning curve for the teams.
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“It’s going to be a long one, the pace of development is going to be huge, and there are 22 races. I remember that here last year I had to leave and Esteban was 12th-13th, so zero points, and then we won a race in Hungary, from there we enjoy the season. I am confident that we will have a good season », he added.
A jump… What caliber?
Asked if the Alpine upgrade was going to allow them to get out of the Middle area from the grid right from the start, Alonso preferred to be patient. “It’s an interesting question, and we don’t have an answer yet. We will have to wait to see how the first races go and what we need from the car and the package.
“I am optimistic”he noted however. “The team is making a great effort, we have the support of our president and everyone at Renault and Alpine, who came to F1 last year with an eye on these regulations to try to be candidates in the future. Whether that future will be 2022 or 2025… I have no idea, but there is a commitment and this vision that I share and embrace, that’s for sure.”
“We think we may have a chance. With a new regulation, in a short/medium term program Alpine should be able to fight for the championship, and that’s why we’re here and we work so hard. I’m in Alpine to get it. With a budget limit I think there is a chance for everyone, that’s why Alpine and Groupe Renault in general are here, “said Alonso.
“We think we may have a chance. With a new regulation, in a short/medium term program Alpine should be able to fight for the championship»
Finally, the #14 recognized like Ross Brawn that the grid has been plagued by cars more different from each other than expected, convinced that Alpine’s plan will be successful. «We trust our team and our designersso we will always say that our concept is the best, but then you have to check it out on the track».
“I agree that these cars are very different to drive and that we will have to adapt quickly as drivers, but also as engineers. The biggest differences should be identified by the whole team. At low speed, the understeer or traction problems will force us to develop new ideas and work with the car in a very different way when it comes to set-up,” Alonso concluded.
Source: autosport