Alpine’s second season in Formula 1 kicked off on the afternoon of Monday, February 21, with the official presentation of the A522 , the single-seater with which Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon must try to improve the French manufacturer’s fifth position in 2021 .
Last year, Alpine got an unexpected victory in Hungary with Esteban Ocon, who was able to celebrate his first success in F1, however, that was not his only good result, since the transalpine team also got on the podium in Qatar after a masterful race of Fernando Alonso.
During this winter, the structure underwent a management revolution with the departure of Alain Prost and Marcin Budkowski and the arrival of Otmar Szafnauer to the team.
After these changes, Laurent Rossi has remained at the helm of the team, and he was the one who spoke about the team’s expectations for the season that will begin in just under a month.
“2022 is going to be an exciting year for Alpine,” said Rossi. “We entered Formula 1 in 2021 with a mission: to lay the foundations for this season in view of the great regulatory change that represents enormous potential for mid-zone teams like ours.”
“We learned a lot last year: what worked for us and what didn’t, what we needed to improve and what to keep. From a technical point of view, we have strengthened our team with Matt Harman , who now becomes technical director, and Pat Fry , who has assumed the position of technical director”.
“We have also simplified the Viry structure with the arrival of Bruno Famin . He has a wealth of motorsport experience and is a major asset to the team. I am also delighted to welcome Otmar Szafnauer on board. We have all the ingredients to continue.” with the growth that we started in 2021″.
After that, the CEO of Alpine explained what the minimum objective is for this 2022, which is none other than to repeat the fifth position in constructors. However, he said he was aware that the regulatory revolution represents a big question mark for all teams.
“Fifth place is the minimum target we have to aim for after last year’s performances. So far we have managed to reach our targets and we are happy with the progress we have made, but we are also aware that this year, with the revolution regulatory, we won’t know where we are until we get going. We have to keep making improvements in order to progress throughout the season.”
Alpine ‘s entry into Formula 1 was essential to relaunch the French brand on the marketing side, however, Laurent Rossi underlined how this operation has ultimately benefited the entire Renault group.
“Our participation in Formula 1 is not only important for Alpine, but for the entire Renault Group. First, it allows us to experience our technical innovations in the laboratory to the most unimaginable extreme. Also the arrival of Bruno, with his proven experience in bringing the development from track to road cars is very important from this point of view”.
“Formula 1 also gives the whole Group good media exposure. Of course, it’s not easy to apply the saying ‘you win on Sunday, you sell on Monday’, but the exposure we get through F1 is indisputable. .
“Alpine brand exposure has increased by over 300% and it’s an incredible result, especially when you consider that the financial impact is less than a global marketing campaign would have. Now we have to consolidate our position. We have to aim high if we want to get the most out of our investment.”
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