The 2022 Formula 1 season has started with Alpine showing enough potential to challenge for the top 4 of the constructors’ standings. But if he wants to measure up to Mercedes he will have to improve some aspects.
The Alpine A522 has shown potential at the start of the season, but the poor reliability that Fernando Alonso’s car has had has weighed heavily on the team in the championship standings.
In any case, there have only been three Grands Prix out of 23 to be held this year, so there is more than enough time to react and honor the car’s speed.
“We need to improve our race pace and we are investigating what can be done”
In order to meet expectations, Alpine has set itself two main goals for the upcoming races, starting with the one that takes place in Imola this weekend.
race pace
So he has admitted Pat Frywhich does not hide Alpine’s aspiration to achieve greater consistency on Sundays.
“Clearly our qualifying performance is relatively competitive, as we’ve had both cars regularly in Q3,” says Fry. “If we had done things right in Melbourne, we could have made it to the second row”.
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Australian weekend, Fernando Alonso he showed a speed that probably would have put him in position to challenge for the podium with George Russell. However, a breakdown in Q3 the day before ruined his weekend.
“We need to improve our race pace and we are investigating what can be done. You can always find the right balance between qualifying pace and race paceand we have to continue working on this to feel comfortable with the car with low and high fuel, ”reiterates the Alpine technical director.
lose weight
The second main performance-related goal is to reduce the weight of the car. This year, practically all the teams have been unable to keep their cars to the minimum weight.
And, although Alpine is one of the closest, it must also slim down your A522 to gain tenths a lap and thus get closer to Mercedes.
“We are working to bring elements that save weight to the car”Pat Fry points out. The main one is a new floor that the team will debut this weekend in Imola.
“Even though it’s a sprint race weekend, we have a new floor update that we will test, so we’ll see how it goes in the only practice session on Friday. It’s a step in the right direction and it will be interesting to see how it performs on track.”
It is precisely on the ground where Alpine has the most room for improvement, having so far used one much stiffer and heavier than the rest of the grill. The FIA’s decision to allow anti-flex braces at the rear of the car hurt Alpine and now the Anglo-French team is working to fix that.
Photos: Alpine F1 Team