The battle for P4 in the constructors’ championship enters the hot phase with McLaren and Alpine bringing major updates for the Formula One Grand Prix in Singapore
Fernando Alonso believes Alpine’s new underbody, which will be launched in Singapore on Friday, will give the team a boost in their battle for the Constructors’ Championship with McLaren.
Alpine is currently fourth in the standings with 125 points, 18 points ahead of McLaren. The Woking-based team is not giving up in the development battle either, introducing a comprehensive package that will be seen on Lando Norris’ car in Singapore.
The upgraded Alpine underbody is expected to feature in both A522s later this weekend. “I haven’t tested it in the simulator but the team has brought a new underbody here,” said Alonso.
Alonso: Suzuka will be first real gauge for underbody
“Let’s see if we can test it properly tomorrow in free practice to confirm that it’s a step forward, because we think it’s a step forward.”
“Maybe it’s difficult to see all the advantages here in Singapore because the track has evolved a lot. And it’s a very difficult test track, let’s say, maybe we can judge it better in Suzuka,” Alonso said.
“But I think it’s a step forward. And we need every step the team can make in this battle with McLaren because it’s going to be very tight until Abu Dhabi. “
Alonso dreams of season-ending podium
About the battle for fourth place, he says: “There will be a couple of weekends where they are faster and a couple of weekends where we are faster. So that’s the top priority for me.”
“And looking from race to race, obviously it will be interesting if in one of them two or three cars in front of us have problems or retire or whatever, then it would be fantastic if we had the opportunity to get close to the podium. But to do that we need some help from the people in front of us. “
Alonso’s teammate Esteban Ocon praises Alpine for continuing to bring new parts to the track. “The team has done a fantastic job since the beginning of the year, constantly developing the car,” said the Frenchman. “We’ve made big steps every time something new has come along.”
“I’m excited to see what it will bring us. It’s quite a big upgrade, but again it’s important that we have a clean weekend and hopefully use it as well as we can. “
Alpine wants car developed by Austin
Alpine technical director Pat Fry confirms that there will be more upgrades to the A522 this season. “Visually it’s not very different from the previous version as most of the development has been underneath,” he says of the new underbody. “However, it should bring a reasonable step in performance.”
“In the last few races we have managed to make a number of developments to the car and they have all worked as expected. We still have a few upgrades to go this season before we stop at Austin at the end of October. Everyone at Enstone has worked exceptionally well to meet the targets for the developments, so kudos to everyone involved for their hard work. “
