Fernando Alonso says that he and his team are ready for the 2022 championship fight following the new technical regulations.
Fernando Alonso had a pretty successful year with the Alpine F1 team in 2021. He returned to the sport in 2021 after a two-year break. He joined his old team Renault which was renamed Alpine.
Following the new technical regulations, Alonso is excited to get to the racing ahead of the 2022 season. Alpine finished the 2021 championship at fifth position in the constructors’ championship.
The team got a breakthrough victory with Esteban Ocon in Hungary. Later, Alonso also returned to the podium in Qatar. Now, heading into the new season, the two-time world champion is optimistic that Alpine are in a strong position.
“2021 was a good season for us; Esteban won a race, I was back on the podium and it was a kind of continuation of the 2020 performance from Renault,” said Alonso at the launch of Alpine’s 2022 F1 car, the A522.
“It felt also [like] we made a lot of progress. I think the team is now stronger, compared to 12 months ago, and I think we are ready for the challenge of this year.”
Fernando Alonso waited one and a half years for these cars
The new technical regulations feature a bunch of changes to the aerodynamics structure of the cars with 18-inch tyres. The teams on the paddock have high expectations from their work on the car and are keen to get it on the test run.
When asked if these new regulations are a game-changer, the Spaniard said, “I hope so. I came back to the sport because of these regulations. So it has been one year and a half waiting for these cars!
“I think the team did an amazing job in the last year, building this car, so we are all very motivated.”
“We won’t know where everyone stands until [the first race in] Bahrain, but we’re excited to take the car for its first spin in testing this week,” he said.
“I hope the new regulations have worked and we get more exciting wheel-to-wheel racing this year.”
