Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer believes Fernando Alonso’s 2022 season is equivalent to that of former BAR-Honda driver Takuma Sato.
Fernando Alonso has faced a difficult 2022 season. He currently stands 10th in the world championship with 29 points to his name in the middle of the season.
According to Alonso himself, he lost 60-70 points in the first half of the season due to the reliability of the Alpine A522 car. The Spanish driver believes that he is at his best level compared to his time in Ferrari.
The two times world champion agreed to drive Alpine with the aim of fighting for the championship. However, it looks unrealistic given his time and the car’s performance.
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Otmar Szafnauer compares Fernando Alonso to Takuma Sato
The Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer explained that he has faced a similar kind of situation in the past discussed. He stated: “I have. Takuma Sato in the mid-2000s [2004, when he was team-mate] with Jenson Button.”
He compared Alpine’s reliability issues to those of Takuma Sato’s BAR Honda. He added: “We had so many engine failures with Honda [four in five races]. When he was in points-scoring positions and it was always him, so yeah, I have seen it.”
Szafnauer was working as the vice president of Honda Racing Developments during the 2000s. Takuma Sato finished 8th in the 2004 season with 34 points.
Cannot fault Alpine for Alonso’s 2022 season – Otmar Szafnauer
Fernando Alonso and Szafnauer are set to discuss a possible contract extension over the next few weeks. It looks highly unrealistic for Alonso to join the top 3 teams due to their team situations.
The Romanian boss believes that there are plenty of reasons why Alonso is not having a great season, not just Alpine’s own abilities.
He cited examples of the incidents with Mick Schumacher in Italy and Valtteri Bottas in Miami as the other reasons for failing Alonso’s 2022.
In conclusion, he stated: “It’s not something we design or make, it’s something we buy. Did it fail on an Alpine car because of where it is on the car, the installation, or something? I doubt it. But we need to find out why it failed and the root cause.”
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