Those laps at the wheel of the Renault R25 seem farther away than ever. Yet only two years have passed since Fernando’s performance Alonso with the car that gave him his first world champion title. The two-year course of Spanish in Alpine was controversial to say the least: in terms of pure performance, very little can be attributed to Nando, however, the victim of continuous bad luck in terms of reliability and not always ideal strategic solutions by the team. And so, from an atmosphere of initial harmony, the climate in Alpine has become increasingly tense. At Interlagos, then, the bomb exploded that everyone knew there was and few tried to defuse it: the relationship between Alonso and teammate Esteban Or with it definitely broke, between crashes, rabid radio teams, and other goofballs. And now, in Abu Dhabi, they will have to share the garage for the last time.
“I enjoyed racing for Alpine and coming back to Enstone and Viry. I have very good memories from my past with Renault and now with Alpine, the team will always have a special place in my heart. When I returned to Formula 1 for the start of the 2021 season, the team welcomed me and immediately made me feel at ease. Since then, we’ve had great results“, these are the words of Alonso in view of the Abu Dhabi race. “The podium in Qatar was a moment of glory for me and a result achieved on merit that weekend. We then had to deal with a completely new set of regulations for 2022 and the team has understood them well, making progress on last year“.
Ocon added: “We hope to carry the momentum from last Sunday into the weekend. Our package is competitive and the car should perform well. Pre-race preparations will remain unchanged and we are confident that we can have a good week in Abu Dhabi and finish the season on a strong note. It has been a busy year, with ups and downs, and everyone has been working very hard, but it’s not time to relax yet. One last collective effort and I’m sure we will reach our goal“.
Alpine, who will field Jack Doohan in PL1, he has to defend fourth place in the constructors’ standings in Abu Dhabi: he is 19 points ahead of McLaren.
#Alonso #dance #Alpine #FormulaPassion.it