Alpine are seriously quick, even if results don’t show it
Fernando Alonso finished last in Melbourne, but that does not reflect Alpine's true performance.
Alpine could be Formula 1’s fastest midfield competitor in 2022. But their promising pace is yet to pay off.
Fernando Alonso reckons he could have scored a podium in Melbourne. Luck just wasn’t with him.
In the final stages of qualifying - and on a stonking lap that should’ve nabbed him a front row - Alonso was hit by hydraulic problems, causing a sensational session-ending crash.
In Sunday’s race, a unique hard-tyre strategy looked set to earn him a strong finish. But the plan backfired thanks to a terribly-timed safety car, which bunched the pack up and wiped Alonso’s advantage away.
Later in the race, he was primed to charge through the field on medium tyres. But those hopes were dashed by poor degradation.
“I am gutted with this weekend, to be honest,” Alonso said afterwards. “It’s hard to accept.”
Melbourne was yet another missed opportunity for Alpine.
Even though Alonso’s teammate Esteban Ocon finished 7th, Alpine chief executive Laurent Rossi said the results were disappointing.
“We know that we had the speed, and the potential, for a much better result,” he said. “But the race weekend just didn’t quite unfold in our direction.”
Alpine has shown flashes of performance this year that suggest they could be midfield leaders. But they are yet to pull together a convincing result.
In Bahrain, both their cars scored points, but it was far from the ideal race. Ocon tangled with Mick Schumacher on the opening lap and Alonso struggled with tyres.
Their 7th and 9th-place finishes were overshadowed by Kevin Magnussen’s impressive drive to 5th for Haas.
Saudi Arabia was the team’s best chance to stamp midfield authority.
They were likely going to finish 6th and 7th - with only Ferrari, Red Bull and one Mercedes ahead of them. Then, a reliability gremlin forced Alonso’s retirement.
“It’s clear our car has the potential to fight for big points,” team boss Otmar Szafnauer said after that race.
But three rounds in, the team does not have big points. They have just 22, which is good enough for 5th in the constructors’ championship. McLaren is now ahead in 4th, the traditional midfield leader spot.
Rossi, the Alpine chief executive, said they have shown they are competitive, but Alpine now needs to work on consistency to get both cars into the points.
“It is up to us now to remain highly motivated in this championship contest,” he said. “Our team is very much in the mix.”