“The motivation is unbelievable” – Alpine racing director Davide Brivio admits Fernando Alonso has had a slow start to the season but is confident of a strong comeback.
Davide Brivio and Fernando Alonso both are ‘new’ entrants to the re-branded Alpine outfit. Unsurprising, both the team and Alonso have had a slow start to the 2021 season. Brivio was previously in MotoGP, while two-time champion Alonso is returning after a two-year gap.
Brivio is confident of Alonso rediscovering his F1 greatness, though, all down to the motivation-to-succeed he has observed in him. The shortened pre-season testing also played a role in Alonso not fully getting to grips with Alpine yet, Brivio explains.
“To be honest, in general, I think with Fernando, the ability is there, the talent is there, the motivation is unbelievable. I really enjoy, and I can really see somebody great as a driver and a sportsman – everything.
“After two years, my personal feeling is it is not easy. I think we need a few races, in my opinion, to get back to the grip. You don’t cover everything in one race or one weekend, you need a few weekends.
“You consider, he probably drove at Imola 10 years ago, maybe more. The other guys have raced here. All in all, we need a few races to make his baseline, his set up. This is what we are doing, what he needs to do and we are fully committed but I can see the potential of the guy.”
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