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“Fernando is very good. The car… not so much”– Anonymous Alpine source claims Fernando Alonso will struggle in 2022

Tanish Chachra
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Anonymous Alpine source claims that Fernando Alonso will struggle with the new machinery produced for the 2022 season.

Since he returned, Fernando Alonso will give his second season to F1. Last year, Alpine looked like an exciting unit, where the French constructors’ grabbed a couple of podiums to declare they meant business.

However, this year, a mega restructuring in the team’s leadership might halt the progress. Alonso, who is currently racing at the age of 40, is still aiming to win a championship or at least compete with the big boys in the paddock.

But an anonymous source within Alpine claims the French constructors are not making a car that could fulfil the ambitions of the Spaniard in 2022.

“Fernando is very good. The car… not so much,” a source within the Alpine garage reportedly told Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo. Whether this is true or not, only time will tell.

Also read: How a fight between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at McLaren led to the biggest fine handed out in Formula 1 history

Fernando Alonso thinks otherwise

Meanwhile, during the presentation, Alonso claimed that his team had something exciting to show this year. He was signalling that it wouldn’t be an easy challenge from Alpine.

“We have made a good step forward in terms of power with our new engine. I hope we will be competitive at the level of the others,” Alonso said to the media during the Alpine reveal.

“But we have lost performance with the new fuel, so we will also have to take this factor into account when talking about engine performance.”

Though, on the same day, he talked to the Spanish outlet RTVE admitting he wasn’t sure whether he was satisfied with the car. However, he claimed that he is happy with the things that are progressing in the team.

“I don’t know if I’m satisfied yet with the performance of the car or not, because we are in the first days, but I’m happy in general with how things are going.”

“To be in a new preseason, with the illusion of starting a new year, and hopefully the pandemic will also give us a break,” he further added. Alpine last year finished fifth in the constructors’ standings.

This year, they probably aim to fight for the third spot against Ferrari and McLaren. Though, initial reports suggest that Ferrari might edge both their rivals out and could also give Mercedes and Red Bull a run for their money.

Also read: Two time world champion Fernando Alonso reckons Ferrari F1-75 to be the fastest car on the grid in 2022

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra

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Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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