Winter testing in Barcelona to prepare for the 2022 Formula 1 season did not get off to a good start for Alpine due to a hydraulic system failure that led to a fire in the power unit that ruined the last day of filming.
However, the French team was confident that they would iron out those hiccups ahead of their arrival in Bahrain, explaining that they had not yet unleashed the true potential of their Renault engine. On the first day of testing at Sakhir, the Frenchmen decided to give the A522 to Esteban Ocon in the morning session, leaving Fernando Alonso the four hours in the afternoon.
There, the Spanish driver completed 13 laps until they called him from the wall to return to the garage, where he spent nearly two hours. Although Alpine did not officially confirm that they had mechanical problems at first, that was the feeling from the outside, as much of the team was checking the right rear of the car.
The French commented that they were carrying out “a big modification of the settings” of the car, and were able to return to tarmac with around 45 minutes left in the day. After getting back in the car, the two-time Asturian champion did another 11 laps until Sergio Pérez caused a red flag that caused the FIA to end the session.
With the 12th fastest time in his pocket, Alonso, who starred in a spectacular duel with Lance Stroll, acknowledged that they suffered: “It was good to drive here in Bahrain again, things went well for Esteban [Ocon] in the morning, but We ran into a little problem after the lunch break.”
“That’s why we weren’t able to complete as many laps as we would have liked in the afternoon, but we have learned a lot about our car in hot conditions, and we have tried different settings,” revealed the Spaniard. “We will take what we have discovered today for tomorrow and Saturday.”
Alpine technical director Pat Fry echoed his rider’s words, noting that it was not an easy day: “It’s great to be back in Bahrain for the second week of testing, although it hasn’t been our smoothest day, with the typical test problems that sometimes occur when running a long program”.
“It seems that porpoising is less of a problem here than in Barcelona,” he explained. “We have detected a problem with the car and that has limited Fernando [Alonso]’s afternoon, and although we were able to solve it, adding as much mileage as possible helps to learn about the car.”
“Today we fell short in that aspect, and for tomorrow, Esteban will be in the car to continue our learning and preparation for the first race. We have two very busy days on the track,” concluded the French team member.
