Alonso sees other teams "more prepared" than Alpine in F1 2022

Despite having debuted in Formula 1 more than two decades ago, Fernando Alonso left the highest category of motorsport at the end of 2018 and did not return until 2021, with the aim of reaching the new era in top form that will start in less than two weeks.

Due to a big change in the technical rules, the new F1 cars offer an opportunity to all those teams that have not been able to occupy the top positions in recent years and, among them, is Alpine, the team of the Asturian driver.

After the first pre-season tests that ended with a bitter taste for Alonso and his team, the Spanish driver spoke to several Spanish media outlets and spoke about his form, the new 2022 F1 cars and his feelings for a season that promises be impressive when it comes to show on the track.

As always, #14 never stitches without thread. To begin with, he claimed to be at his best and, in turn, took the opportunity to send a message to his team: “I’m much better now than last year at this point. I feel good and 100% for a very intense year, each race we will have many tenths of improvement, because it will be easy to evolve at the beginning, we must try to be fast on the track, but also in the factory”, he commented in words collected by Forbes.

The Asturian hopes that the new Formula 1 rules meet their objectives and create a much more even grid compared to the last seasons where one or two teams escaped from the rest, however, he believes that this will not be possible until 2023.

“In theory, all the cars are going to be more equal, some parts are common to all, such as the front and rear wings, because there is no freedom of development, that is good for the category because we will be more even”.

“After four or five races there will be one or two teams that win all the races and the rest of us will copy what they have. Next year all [the cars] will be the same. I haven’t seen other cars in detail, but they look similar to each other. , during the year everyone will get closer,” he added.

Referring to the first three days of preseason with the Alpine A522 at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, Alonso was calm, but acknowledged that other teams seem to have arrived one step ahead of the French structure at the start of 2022.

“With the new regulations there are always a lot of things to try and adjust. I think we have made progress, but the truth is that other teams seemed to be more prepared, they came out and from the beginning they got the time very easy, they did long runs, etc.”

“We started little by little. At the end of the day I was happy, but I think there were other teams a little bit more prepared than us,” concluded the Spanish rider.

This week, specifically from March 10 to 12, the highest category will land in Sakhir, site of the first grand prix of the season, to complete the last three days of pre-season testing, days in which the teams will surely squeeze a little more new single-seaters, something that will allow them to have a more real first image.

Gallery: Fernando Alonso in F1 2022 pre-season testing with Alpine

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 A522

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Photo by: Erik Junius

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 A522

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Photo by: Erik Junius

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 A522

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Photo by: Erik Junius

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 A522

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Photo by: Erik Junius

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

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Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, engine problems