With Mercedes and Red Bull vying for the championship and with McLaren and Ferrari fighting for third place in the Constructors’ World Cup, Alpine has decided to give up this season. The team will focus on 2022 after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, so the improvements that Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon will present in Baku will be the last this year. the car to Singapore or Abu Dhabi ”, Marcin Budkowski acknowledged in an Alpine statement prior to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. However, the executive director of the French team has pointed out: “If on the track, during set-up work or adaptation to the circuits we find a way that provides performance easily, it would be foolish not to try to take advantage of it.” Aerodynamics in Baku Regarding the improvements that Alpine will present at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Marcin Budkowski commented: “Baku is another street circuit, but where you need much less downforce than in Monaco, as there are long straights and fast corners. We are going to bring another little package of improvements, we have worked very hard at the factory to get it ready. We have analyzed well what happened in Monaco to arrive in Baku with the best possible information. ”Even so, the Alpine CEO wanted to urge Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon to rank as high as possible for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:“ We have seen eventful races at this circuit so it will be very important to seize any opportunity we get. The objective is to be as close as possible to the upper part, in order to benefit from everything that may happen in front of us ”.“After two promising races in Portugal and Spain, Monaco has cut our progression. It was not a good weekend and even though we scored two points, we lost ground against our closest rivals. We are going to Baku with the lesson learned and we have taken advantage of these days to regroup and come back stronger ”, Marcin Budkowski concluded. Alpine and the French Grand Prix Although Alpine does not plan to improve his car after the Baku race, Fernando Alonso has said in repeatedly that he hopes a different World Cup will start for him after the French Grand Prix. Facing that race, Alpine will modify its car so that its direction is similar to the one it had in its previous stage in Formula 1. Regarding its requests, it recently declared: “It is more for my comfort, they are some things for me. This car is different in terms of the approach to the power steering, I want it to be more similar to how I have had it before to improve my feeling. It’s just on my side of the garage and I hope it’s easier for me. This car has a different approach to its behavior. Looking ahead to 2022 it makes no sense to change the philosophy of the car and it is up to me to adapt between now and the end of the year. I hope to do better and I think I will succeed. ”Fernando Alonso spoke about next season after the Monaco Grand Prix:“ We are working, we are trying to help the team as much as we can in preparation for 2022 as well. We are not going to win the Championship this year, that is guaranteed, so in the meantime we are making the team stronger and analyzing all areas. We are understanding many things thanks to the difficulties, so I am not worried ”.Regarding the regulation change that will come into force next season, he added: “The car that is born well, leads the decade of that regulation. We saw it with Red Bull and with Mercedes. If you’re in those cars, you win four or five titles. In the past you won one and the next one was a coin toss. ”Alonso, optimistic for Azerbaijan, Questioned about the next race, the man from Oviedo declared:“ I have always enjoyed racing in Baku. It is a good circuit with challenging corners and good overtaking opportunities. After two races on circuits where overtaking was not easy at all, one arrives in which it is much easier. Here I qualified outside the top 10 the last two times, but ended up getting to the points. It is a circuit where anything can happen, it is usually an unpredictable weekend. The circuit has high-speed zones and a more central sector for downforce and grip. It will be a tough weekend for the car and the driver and finding a good balance in the set-up will be important. ”“ I feel more confident in each race. I am in a continuous process of learning and improving the car. We know that 2022 will be an important year and this is a year of preparation. The car went well in Portimao and Barcelona and we hope to improve and fight more consistently for the points in the next races, ”Fernando Alonso concluded, insisting on the importance of next season.
