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Two-time world champion and current Alpine F1 driver Fernando Alonso claims the time for excuses is over and that his team can look to improve in the 2022 F1 season.
Alpine, in their first F1 season as themselves, placed fifth in the constructors' championship. Regardless, Alonso believes there is still massive room for improvement within the French team. The Spaniard, along with Esteban Ocon, challenged the well-established Alpha Tauri team, beating them in the constructors' championship by 13 points. Alonso, however, feels Alpine has the formula to improve even further next season, capitalizing on regulation and car changes in the upcoming season. He said:
“Nobody knows the destination. In a normal winter, we would have said that we had to find eight tenths. But we don't know what the new benchmark is. Nobody knows. There is only hope that it will be enough. We have the right people, the necessary things, budget, sufficient resources and the support of the executive suite. It is now up to us to make something of it. The time for excuses is over.”
The 40-year-old is a veteran of the sport, with 334 Grand Prix starts in a career that has lasted longer than almost all others on the grid. The Spaniard believes the new cars will come very close to the current cars in terms of speed, downforce, and handling, but feels there is still some work needed from the aerodynamics department. He said:
“The new engine was absolutely necessary. But something still has to come from the aerodynamics. Otherwise, we won't be able to close the gap.”
Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen share a statistic between them
Fernando Alonso dethroned the great Michael Schumacher and went on to win the 2005 drivers' title at the age of 24. Similarly, Max Verstappen ended Lewis Hamilton's era of dominance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix earlier this month, winning his maiden world championship title at 24. To further highlight the similarities, both Hamilton and Schumacher were seven-time world champions at the time of their defeat, and both Alonso and Verstappen were first-time world champions for their respective countries.
The Spaniard shared a podium with Verstappen at the Qatar Grand Prix in November, making it his first for Alpine.
Also Read: Who has won most F1 Championships?
