Fernando Alonso has said that he hopes that a new World Championship will begin for him at the French Grand Prix and what better way to start a new championship than right behind the Mercedes and the Red Bulls. And it is that the Asturian has been fourth in Free 2 while his teammate Esteban Ocon has been sixth. Alpine , who races at home, thus proves to have taken a step forward thanks to the “ minor improvements ” that it has presented at Paul Ricard.
Only Max Verstappen , who set the fastest time, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton rode faster than Fernando Alonso in this second session. Leclerc has sneaked between him and Ocon; while the other Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, was eighth behind Pierre Gasly .
The two Mercedes have been the ones who have led Free 1 followed by the two Red Bulls . In this session Esteban Ocon was fifth, thus confirming Alpine’s good performance in France. Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, set the seventh fastest time behind Daniel Ricciardo.
Alonso, optimistic for the French GP
” Ocon will try to make the podium in Spain and I, in France, ” declared Alonso after the qualifying session held in Barcelona. And it is that the Spanish said weeks ago: ” From France I hope a new championship begins for me .”
“ The start of the season is not the best possible schedule for a driver who is new . I had Imola and Portugal, two circuits in which I did not drive for years or never, like in Portimao, and the others drove four months ago and then two urban circuits, so the first six races are very challenging to adapt ”, he added.
Precisely the urban circuits have played in favor of Alpine’s rivals as Fernando Alonso recently recognized: “ On the urban circuits the preparation of the tires is helping, in some way, our opponents to increase their performance . They are fighting for pole now, but we don’t think that’s the improvement of the car: it’s just how they warm up the tires for a street circuit. “
“There are no urban circuits after this. Even Singapore we don’t have it anymore, so maybe we’ll get back to a more normal performance , ”he added optimistically ahead of the French Grand Prix.
A team that has fought for pole, and that has achieved it in the two urban circuits, has been Ferrari. On a less favorable track for the Italian team, Leclerc was eleventh in Free Practice 1 and Carlos Sainz sixteenth. Fortunately for Ferrari, both have improved their times in Free Practice 2 being fifth and eighth respectively.
Alonso has only raced once at Paul Ricard
Returning to the Oviedo, about the track he commented days ago: “ I have always enjoyed racing in France . I have had good results in this country, Formula 1 and in other categories. I have only raced once at Paul Ricard, but they have resurfaced on the track to improve the competition ”.
Fernando Alonso took advantage of the occasion to promise a show: “The circuit has quite a few high-speed sections and Turn 10 will be fun in this modern Formula 1. There are quite a few escape areas around the circuit, which means that any error is less likely to be punished by barriers on both sides. This will be different from what we experience both in Monaco and in Baku, we hope to put on a show ”.
And it is because Fernando Alonso has fond memories of France as he won at Magny-Cours in 2005: “It was a very beautiful race for several reasons. We led the race from start to finish, even when I stopped, I was ahead of the rest. It was my fifth win that year and the sixth for the team . We maintained that good streak for the rest of the year and finally we ended up winning the two World Cups ”.
“Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans here twice was also very special , I will never forget that. I hope we have more unforgettable moments this weekend at Paul Ricard ”, he concluded.
Free Results 1
FP1 CLASSIFICATION
Mercedes back on form, with Red Bull just behind
And a strong showing from @AlpineF1Team in the opening session at their home race 🔥#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/rUs0beKoQI
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2021
Free Results 2
Here’s how FP2 finished 👀#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/6BIKVUu9kI
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2021
