Alpine signed Davide Brivio , among other reasons, to bring his MotoGP experience to Formula 1. And that is what Fernando Alonso wants to take advantage of in Qatar . Brivio knows perfectly the Losail circuit, which has been inaugurating each new motorcycling season for 15 years , and which this 2021 makes its debut on the Formula 1 calendar; something that the Asturian wants to play in his favor.
” Losail is a track that we do not know very well, but it has been on the MotoGP calendar for many years, ” began Fernando Alonso in the run-up to the Qatar Grand Prix. “ I have spoken with Davide Brivio about the circuit, since he is the one with the most experience of the whole team . They have run good categories before, the facilities are good and generally good weather is guaranteed ”, acknowledged the Spanish rider. ” It will be interesting to see how a Formula 1 performs on this circuit compared to a MotoGP “, concluded Fernando Alonso .
Who is Davide Brivio?
The Italian joined the Alpine team last summer after being proclaimed MotoGP champion with Joan Mir. Previously Davide Brivio was key in the four titles that Valentino Rossi won with Yamaha . So much so that Il Dottore signed him in 2010, when he joined Ducati , to manage his career.
Later Suzuki trusted him as Team Manager in 2015, the year he returned to MotoGP in the Japanese team. Five years later, one of its pilots broke a twenty-year drought and won the title again. “ Thank you Davide Brivio for trusting me and helping me achieve my dream of becoming a MotoGP World Champion . I wish you the best in your new challenges ”, Joan Mir wanted to thank him in his farewell.
Thank you @Davide_Brivio for trusting me and helping me achieve my dream of becoming a #MotoGP World Champion.
I wish you the best in your new challenges! #SUZUKing # M1R @suzukimotogp pic.twitter.com/YZmttpWLl5– JoanMir36 (@JoanMirOfficial) January 7, 2021
The importance of Brivio for Alonso in Qatar
With three Grands Prix to go by the end of the season, Alpine and AlphaTauri have two races tied on points for fifth place in the Constructors’ World Cup. These boards could be broken by small details and that’s where Davide Brivio comes in. Fernando Alonso knows this and wants to take advantage of the Italian’s experience to help Alpine achieve the goal set at the beginning of this year.
CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS 🧑🔧
So tight at the top
Ferrari consolidate lead over McLaren in battle for P3
Alpine and AlphaTauri 👀
Three races left to come!#BrazilGP 🇧🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/CkbYN0zvmu
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 14, 2021
It will not be easy since, as Esteban Ocon , a colleague from Oviedo, noted, they are not “as fast as AlphaTauri in performance ”. “We have been scoring points with both cars on a regular basis and that has made the difference so far and, on the other hand, obviously also our great weekend in Hungary is what has caused us to be in the position that we are,” said the Gallic after the United States Grand Prix.
“All we can do is focus on ourselves and try to do the best job we can. On paper we cannot beat them , but we are pushing hard so that both cars reach the points in each race ”, added Esteban Ocon.
Davide Brivio may be worth a title for Alonso
Fernando Alonso will face the race at Losail as the leader of the Overtake Award. This award will reward the rider who makes the most overtaking this season. According to Amro Al-Hamad, head of the Qatar Grand Prix, they hope to offer “ many overtaking ” to Formula 1 spectators. That is, Alonso will have a good chance in Losail to increase his income on Sebastian Vettel if he makes the Davide Brivio’s experience works in your favor. He is currently ahead of the German in two overtakings.
Fernando Alonso currently leads the season standings 👏
Can he hold on to P1 and claim the @Cryptocom
Overtake Award in Abu Dhabi?#F1 | https://t.co/8PdPZlBesT pic.twitter.com/Ntl35yaIPn— Formula 1 (@F1) November 16, 2021
“ Nobody has data from this circuit and neither have any of the drivers ever raced here, that’s a great addition . Every minute of practice will make a difference and strategy will also be key, as it is a very fast circuit with a couple of opportunities to overtake ”, were the words of Amro Al-Hamad in Motorsport .
“ I know from a competitive driver’s point of view that there will be a lot of overtaking , contrary to all the speculation that has been spread. It is a very technical circuit and you need a lot of downforce, there can be a lot of strategic variety and the behavior of the tire can also change ”, continued the head of the Qatar Grand Prix.
“There are changes in the barriers and also in the position of the pit entrance. For safety reasons, it was made for motorcycles, but now we have made it safer with the arrival of Formula 1. We hope that this event will bring with it a lot of media attention, that it will put us in the spotlight again ”, he concluded.
