The Alpine team had a very troublesome first week of 2022 Formula 1 pre-season testing, at least externally, as they suffered a problem in the hydraulic system of the power unit, which caused a small fire.
As the French team itself recognized, it was a mishap that appeared between the gearbox and the engine, when one of the hydraulic tubes broke.
At that moment it was Fernando Alonso who was at the controls of the A522, which began to release a large smoke at the end of the finish straight of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The two-time Asturian champion had no choice but to stop the car and get out to watch in amazement a scene that could remind us of the times of McLaren-Honda .
However, those from Enstone called for calm, since the two previous days of testing decided not to use the DRS and make turns with a lot of fuel, which weighed down the times, so their references should not be real.
Alpine’s technical director, Pat Fry , spoke after the events of the last day of testing on the Catalan track, and the press asked about the situation of the Spanish driver. The engineer coincided in two previous stages with Alonso, during his entire stay at Ferrari, from 2010 to 2014, and at McLaren, coinciding with the final months of 2018, precisely when those from Woking used a Renault engine.
Despite the driver’s supporters being concerned about Alpine, Fry explained: “He helps us make everything better, all the time, and that’s an encouragement as he’s driven many different types of cars in his Formula 1 career. “.
Fernando Alonso made his debut in 2001 with Minardi , and lived through the era of V10, V8 and V6 turbo-hybrid engines, in addition to the transition from Michelin and Bridgestone tires to Pirelli, and from striped to smooth tires. Alpine’s technical director acknowledged what that meant for the team: “It’s useful to have different opinions when you switch to such a different car.”
However, Fry did not say that the Spaniard was the best on the current Grand Circus grid. It is true that there are great figures in the paddock, such as Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton, but it is surprising that in Alonso’s environment they do not respond with the fact that he is number 1.
“Fernando is among the four best drivers,” added the British engineer, who did not want to say anything more about it, indicating that Alonso is among the elite of world motorsports, although the question remains as to why he did not say he was the best.
