'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQb/2gAIAQEAAAAAhTf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAE//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAF/9oACAEDEAAAAEf/xAAjEAAABQQABwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEEwAFBhIHISIxQULT/9oACAEBAAE/AMh4mW98ozdIY9bWsBgkRapapL+TSe3IBDsNLZMhMeO2pabDr0G+lf/EABkRAAIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEAAIFIf/aAAgBAgEBPwA2kwrwdp//xAAaEQEAAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACBAABAwUx/9oACAEDAQE/ANfFxymi7cr/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Fernando Alonso believes Alpine has been a casualty of luck at certain races in 2022. Previewing the upcoming French GP weekend, the Spanish driver felt that Circuit Paul Ricard would pose some challenges with the set-up of their car.
Speaking in a team preview ahead of the 2022 F1 French GP, the Spaniard said:
“It’s always fun to race in front of the French fans. Half of the team is based in France and so it’s good to have a home race for us at Circuit Paul Ricard. It’s a fun track and whilst I’ve raced at various French race circuits, I’ve only competed here twice before in Formula 1. It’s a challenging circuit to get the car set up right, with quite a few high-speed sections followed by various low and medium-speed corners.”
An observation so far has been that Alpine cars struggle in low-speed corners. With the French circuit’s layout consisting of low, medium, and high-speed corners, Fernando Alonso reckons that the car set-up could be challenging. The French race will be a home event for the Enstone-based team, where they will have a lot of support. The Spanish driver reckons he is physically at his best level and is capable of delivering competitive performances.
Highlighting his expectations for the upcoming French GP weekend, the Alpine driver said:
“We seemed quite competitive at various circuits this year, so hopefully we can keep this up at Paul Ricard. I feel I am physically driving better than ever! Luck has been our biggest issue. It has often escaped us at crucial moments this season. If we can turn this around and get the luck that we deserve as a team, then I’m confident we can.”
Fernando Alonso feels Alpine will have to improve over the season
Fernando Alonso feels Mercedes will beat Alpine after a certain point as they are a mammoth organization. The double world champion feels that on some tracks AlphaTauri and Aston Martin have become competitive for them as slow-speed corners are not the strong points of their car.
Speaking to Motorsport Network, Alonso said:
“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for us. They [Mercedes] have a huge organisation and we knew that they will come back sooner or later. For us, it’s more a medium/long-term programme when we try to improve as much as they did.”
Weighing their strengths and weaknesses against their rivals, Fernando Alonso said:
“I think we feel a little bit down on some corners. I will say slow-speed corners is not our strength at the moment. We saw in Baku, with a lot of slow-speed corners, some cars were very strong. AlphaTauri finished P5, and Aston Martin was very strong as well. So at some tracks those kinds of teams could come alive again.”
Alpine are currently fourth in the constructors' standings with a total of 81 points but face stiff competition from McLaren, who have the same points but are placed fifth. Their retirements have cost them points but performance-wise they are comfortably ahead of McLaren in terms of consistency.
