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Laurent Rossi, the CEO of Alpine, revealed that the team had to face extreme difficulties when the 2022 F1 season started. According to him, the cars were not competitive when they tested them in Barcelona and there was not much faith in where the team was going to finish in the standings by the time the season ended. The initial plan for the team was to develop late and try to stay competitive.
The Frenchman told the media in Abu Dhabi:
"We started the season in bad shape. I mean, we arrived in Barcelona [pre-season] in shambles, I could say. And then the idea was to develop as late as we can because it was a brand new car. And from there, try to make our way up the grid."
Rossi revealed that nobody expected the team to finish any higher than P8, but the final standings have kept him quite satisfied. He said:
"Nobody was seeing us anywhere above eight position, I remember back then... so I'm quite pleased that we managed to catch up."
Alpine, who were rebranded in 2021 from Renault, have had decent pace and finishes with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon behind their wheels. In 2021, they managed to finish P5 at the end of the season. As Rossi revealed, though, this season wasn't looking promising for them during pre-season testing. A P4 finish, however, has only been better than last year's performances in the broader picture.
Alpine put in satisfactory performance despite the reliability issues in 2022
Another issue that the French outfit wasn't completely prepared for was the reliability niggles they faced. Fernando Alonso suffered in multiple races due to the engine, which made it hard for the team to battle McLaren, their rivals in the standings. Rossi revealed that consistent development from the team helped them stay competitive.
He said:
"It's a capacity of Enstone and Viry (Alpine HQs) to deliver upgrades throughout the season and stay competitive."
Although McLaren's downfall this season was partly to blame for their loss, Alpine too were regular with their upgrades that helped them narrowly score higher. There were moments when McLaren had the upper hand, but their unpredictable race pace eventually brought them down.
Otmar Szafnauer, Alpine team principal, also said that his team was 'one of the best' in development on the grid while talking about how the team started in contrast to their final position of the season. With Alonso's move to Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly replacing him, the team is looking forward to a much more successful 2023 season with an all-French squad.
