“A faster car,” replies Fernando Alonso with a smile when asked what he would like for the 2022 Formula 1 season. “More power on the straights and more downforce in the corners,” says the Spaniard, who is of course aware that all 20 drivers in the field want exactly these things.
The fact is, however, that Alpine will have to take a bigger step than other teams if you want to be at the forefront in 2022. The 2021 season ended in fifth place in the World Cup. But the French themselves kept saying that they didn’t necessarily have the fifth-fastest car.
Rather, one of the reasons they ended up ahead of AlphaTauri in the World Cup was because they worked better than the young bulls in many other aspects. “We are strong in many areas. We just need a competitive package,” explains Alonso, who sees Alpine as being very well positioned apart from pure performance.
No clarity until the first test
But it is also clear that this will not help much in the new season if the car is not fast enough. “We have been working on it for many months and have high hopes,” says Alonso, who explains, among other things: “We definitely have to close the gap in the engine.” But we also have to catch up with aerodynamics.
The difference: while the well-known hybrid engines will also be used in 2022, the cars are completely new. That’s why Alonso explains that you don’t know exactly how much time you have to find. Something like that can be assessed much better in a “normal season” if you know the other cars.
“But there are [2022] no data to feed the computer with. So right now it’s just hopes. But everyone has these hopes, “says Alonso. Because the rules are completely new this year, the order could be shifted. But there can not only be winners, some will also lose.
Alonso: Budget cap should help
2022 will be “completely unknown territory” for everyone, says Alonso, who however emphasizes: “I am optimistic. We have the necessary resources. We have the commitment of Luca de Meo and Laurent Rossi. Our entire management has committed itself to Formula 1. The budget cap should help because the top teams no longer have an unlimited budget. “
“Now everyone has more or less the same financial resources. Now it’s up to us to build a good car,” says Alonso, for whom excuses no longer count in view of the signs of the budget cap and the new regulations. Incidentally, he had not tested the new car by the end of the 2021 season.
While pilots from other teams had already tested the new cars at least once in the simulator, Alonso admits that he had “not contributed much” to the development. The new car was mainly created by the designers and simulations. “I feel like it’s a strange new project for everyone,” said the Spaniard.
Whether Alonso’s wish for a faster car will be fulfilled will be shown for the first time at the first test in February.
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