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Alpine does not plan to play it safe with regard to their power unit in the upcoming 2022 F1 season, according to CEO Laurent Rossi. The Anglo-French outfit knows they will need to produce more power with their engine if they are to have any hope of competing at the front. Consequently, Rossi has asked that the development be focused on performance over reliability.
In an interview with motorsport.com, the Frenchman shed light on Alpine's tough engine development choices. Rossi said:
“It’s either reliability or performance, as you usually have a hard time having both. So it’s just where do you push the envelope? During the year [in development] we experienced a couple of moments where the reliability was not there, but that’s our choice because the only lever we are going to have at our disposal this year is reliability. So I told the team: you push the envelope far and I don’t care. I’d rather have to dial down on the performance but know that I’ve reached the peak of the performance I can get, than be reliable and just feel comfortable with a reliable engine that is not delivering performance.”
The feeling is mutual with veteran driver Fernando Alonso as well, who made his expectations for Alpine's 2022 challenger clear during a post-season interview with gpfans.com. The Spaniard said:
“More power on the straights and more downforce in the corner, that is what we are aiming for, all drivers.”
Alpine to benefit from Renault's split-turbo package in 2022, according to Laurent Rossi
Rossi also believes Renault's decision to opt for a split-turbo package will provide substantial on-track gains for Alpine in 2022. During the aforementioned motorsport.com interview, Rossi said:
“The engine has been redesigned entirely. When I say brand new it is even in the concept. Firstly, that is split turbo, but that is only one of the visible elements that will make it more compact, enable us to move it closer to the driver, and therefore change the center of gravity of the car. It’s lighter and it’s capable of operating in a much wider range of conditions, temperature and pressure. So it’s really like a game changer for us. And I hope it will enable us to catch up and close the gap to the front.”
Meanwhile, the new A522 is set to be revealed on February 21, four days before the first pre-season testing session in Barcelona.
