The sprint race of the 2022 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix started with problems for the Alpine team and for Fernando Alonso, or rather, it was fraught with setbacks before it even got going, because the French car did not take the start.
When everything was ready at the Red Bull Ring circuit for the second round with this format of the year to be played, the A522 of the Oviedo driver did not start, moreover, when the cars were going to make the relevant formation lap before seeing how turn off the traffic lights, the mechanics of the Enstone team did not remove the thermal blankets from the tires or the stands from the two-time world champion’s car.
With great speed, the team members moved the car to the pitlane in the hope of starting it, and although they had a little more time due to the start being delayed because Guanyu Zhou was stopped in the middle of the track a few meters from his position in the grid, Alonso was forced to leave without being able to roll a single meter.
The anger of the Spaniard was evident in his subsequent statements to the press in Austria, assuring that it was his best season in terms of driving level, but that his car always failed, and not that of his teammate, Esteban Ocon.
In a subsequent statement from the French team, the head of the team, Otmar Szafnauer , explained what had happened to Alonso’s A522, and although he did not know exactly what the origin of the problem was, they gave the first indications of what it was.
“It seems to be an electrical problem in his car, which caused it not to start on the grid, in the pitlane or in the garage,” said the American. “We are going to assess the cause and also what options we have on his car before tomorrow’s race.”
On the sprint test in which they scored points thanks to Esteban Ocon ‘s performance with his sixth position, the Alpine boss gave his point of view: “Unfortunately, today’s race did not meet our expectations, and we were not able to take advantage of yesterday’s good performance in qualifying”.
“It’s a great result for Esteban [Ocon], who can start sixth in tomorrow’s race, but we are disappointed not to give Fernando [Alonso] the opportunity to start today. Esteban has shown good pace today and we have some useful tire data, which we will use in our strategy on Sunday,” said Szafnauer.
“All is not lost. Esteban has a great opportunity to get some points tomorrow and, with Fernando, you can never say never, and I’m sure he will push hard to finish in the top ten,” said the director of the French team.
