Formula 1 | Alonso: Maybe Alpine F1 gives me the worst engines
Fernando Alonso did not hide his great disappointment after retiring from the Mexican Grand Prix, which left him seventh and six points adrift in the championship.
The two-time world champion has been plagued by frequent mechanical problems in 2022 and with two races to go in his Alpine F1 campaign, his relationship with his team promises to be strained in Brazil and then Abu Dhabi.
“My level has never been this high this season, but my results at the end of the year are at their lowest. So it’s frustrating, but I can’t do anything about it because, as I said, there’s always the reliability of the number 14. It’s always my car that breaks down. and I don’t know why. There’s a black cat or something.”
“I lost a cylinder with 20 laps to go, losing 20% of my engine power. I was 20 seconds ahead of the McLarens and my team-mate at the time. My race so far has been exceptional. Austin and Mexico were my two best races. In terms of pace. The engine at the end It was a good thing that it broke down, at least we stopped the car and didn’t have to stay on the track.”
“This year I was 60 points down and now it’s 66. And of course everyone is using it to score more points than they should. It’s surprising that one of the two cars has to give up every race and it’s always No. 14. I think this year I broke five engines, then there was a problem in qualifying in Australia and then in Austria, so I didn’t even start the Sprint. We deserved it. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Alonso compares his Renault engine with the one in McLaren-Honda
And Alonso to compare the Alpine 2022’s reliability with what he knew during McLaren-Honda, when the Japanese engine manufacturer was in deep trouble.
“In the first year of cooperation with Honda, we collected 72 penalty places on the grid during the whole season. But the difference is that both cars retired at that time. This year it is only the number 14 car.”
“I think we weren’t prepared enough. Maybe they give me the worst engines. I mean, our engine doesn’t finish races. If you change the engine six or seven times, but you keep giving up, it’s not bad luck anymore. You have to do better next winter, but hopefully not too much.”
The Spaniard is now looking forward to the end of his adventure in Alpine F1 and doesn’t care if the A522 performs well at Interlagos.
“I don’t care. I’ll go, I’ll drive as fast as I can, then we’ll go to Abu Dhabi to celebrate with the team and I’ll go home.”
Szafnaeur: “Alonso was unlucky in the draw”
Obviously, the story is different on the Alpine F1 side, where director Otmar Szafnaeur merely recalls a glaring lack of success on Fernando Alonso’s side this year.
“It was an engine problem and not the people who made Esteban and Fernando’s engine that changed.”
“It’s unlikely to happen, but not zero, maybe the problems are only happening on one side of the garage. I think it’s the luck of the draw. There’s no reason to explain that only Fernando is affected. This kind of situation.”
Alonso at the wheel of the Aston Martin F1 from the Abu Dhabi test?
Immediately after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Pirelli will hold a new test session for the 2023 tires at the Yas Marina circuit.
Fernando Alonso is expected to join Aston Martin F1 on January 1, 2023, but he hints that he could find himself in the AMR22 before then.
Will Alpine negotiate an early release with F1 for this? Does he have any cards in his hand given the current situation? “I’m still in charge of my own destiny!” answers.
