Alpine says goodbye to F1 tests in Barcelona ahead of time

Alpine fielded the new A522 for the first time last Monday in Barcelona to spend one of its two days of filming before the start of pre-season testing.

However, the testing experience for the French team has come to an end earlier than expected after Fernando Alonso was forced to stop his car on track just an hour into the session due to a breakdown.

Alpine have confirmed that the fire at the rear of the car was caused by a problem in its hydraulic system, and that the required repairs mean that they will be unable to return to the track for the remainder of this third and final day of testing in Barcelona.

“After further investigations in the garage after seeing Fernando Alonso stopped on track this morning, the team can confirm that the problem was with the hydraulic system,” said the statement from the French structure.

“A minor sealing issue caused a fire at the rear of the car. The team has successfully completed 266 laps during the three-day shakedown in Barcelona.”

“Repairs to the car will continue and as a result we will not be able to race again today. We are looking forward to getting back in action at the upcoming Bahrain tests.”

Said problem is without a doubt a big setback for Alpine at a time when adding mileage is so important, especially after the rule change for 2022.

Alonso was only able to complete 12 laps on Friday morning before the problem forced him to stop on track. Alpine was third overall in the kilometers traveled classification after the first two days of testing, behind only Ferrari and AlphaTauri.

In this way, the problem has also prevented Esteban Ocon from having the opportunity to put in a few more laps during the afternoon session, which will be held on a wet track to help Pirelli with the development of its wet tyres.

Alpine will return to the track with Alonso and Ocon at the Bahrain test, which takes place from March 10-12, ahead of the 2022 F1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20.

Gallery: Alonso after a problem with the Alpine A522 in F1 testing

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, engine problems