Alpine’s second season in Formula 1, after picking up the baton from Renault, has started with lights and shadows. But the Anglo-French team thinks more in the long term and counts on Fernando Alonso to take them to the top.
Alpine has started the 2022 season far from the teams that aim for podiums and wins regularly, although reducing the disadvantage compared to last year.
Pat Frycurrent technical director of Alpine and who already has more than 35 years of experience in Formula 1 through teams such as Benetton, McLaren, Ferrari and Manor, is the intellectual author of this season’s A522 and the person appointed by Laurent Rossi , CEO of Alpine Cars, to maximize the resources allocated by the Renault Group for Formula 1.
«Last year was absolutely exceptional, how he pulled the team and built it around him»
And the British engineer highlights one of those resources: Fernando Alonso, who in his opinion contributes two main qualities to the team that allow you to move forward more quickly.
Experience and commitment
These two qualities are vital to guide a team with aspirations in today’s Formula 1, in which simulation takes center stage to the detriment of on-track testing.
“He has great experience. He’s driven so many different cars, getting in the car and knowing what’s important is a huge benefit, honestly.”affirms Pat Fry in relation to the Spanish pilot.
Currently, the teams must use the training sessions of the Grand Prix to finalize the development of some single-seaters conceived entirely with simulationsso time is very limited and having a pilot who knows how to identify priorities is extremely valuable.
Summary video of the analysis of this start of the season on our Twitch channel.
“The other outstanding thing about him is just that he gives absolutely everything. It is a total commitment and demanding that of us as well, which is the right thing to do, right? help”, emphasizes Pat Fry as Fernando Alonso’s second quality.
“Last year was absolutely exceptional,” acknowledges the former Ferrari technical director. “Pull the team and build it around him. Getting out of the car at Imola after qualifying was bad for him and then coming back stronger. Certainly the commitment is there, which is good.”expands Pat Fry.
Fernando Alonso recently stated that he hoped to stay in Formula 1 for at least two or three more years. For his part, Alpine hopes to culminate his 100-race plan with wins and titles from 2024.
Source: Racingnews 365
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Photos: Alpine F1 Team