"I wish I could challenge the Mercedes in front us or Checo"- Fernando Alonso feels Mercedes and Red Bull are out of Alpine's 'league' at 2022 F1 French GP

Fernando Alonso has expressed his disappointment at not being able to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull at the 2022 F1 French GP.

Alpine managed to overhaul rivals McLaren to lay claim to P4 in the constructors standings at Paul Ricard. However, Alonso felt that they lacked the pace to challenge the cars ahead of him. Speaking in a post-race interview with F1.com, the two-time F1 world champion said:

“I wish I could challenge the Mercedes in front us or Checo [Perez], but that was not our league. So from there it was just to control [the McLarens] and if they get closer to us, they will damage their tyres, so it was not a concern at that moment. So, happy for that. Let’s go in Budapest, another go.”

Alpine started the 2022 season with high hopes and aimed to improve on their P5 finishing position from last season. At times, they even aimed to battle Mercedes for P3.

But as the season progressed, a lack of consistency, bad luck—especially for Fernando Alonso—combined with McLaren’s stellar recovery, negatively impacted the team’s standings.

However, in the last few races, the French squad have bounced back to score consistently. Alonso believes that their result in France is evidence of the team’s capability to finish in the top six on a regular basis. He added, saying:

“It shows that when we have a clean weekend like this one, then we can finish in the top-six positions. Hopefully, we can keep up this level of consistency throughout the second half of the season and continue our momentum.”

Alpine “played the race” like chess to ward off McLaren at the French GP, says Fernando Alonso

Alpine secured a double-point finish at the French GP with Fernando Alonso finishing in P6. Meanwhile, teammate Esteban Ocon secured a P8.

The finish helped the French outfit overhaul team Papaya in the standings. According to Alonso, Alpine had to “play the race” like a game of chess to ward off successive attacks from their British rival. Speaking in a post-race interview, he said:

“I think we played the race like a chess game; we tried to position the McLaren’s close to us and try to have some clear air in front. So, all-in-all, it was a good Sunday."

“I think [McLaren] have very similar pace, but to be in front of them in the first couple of laps was enough to control the race and to control the pace.”