4262 replies to this topic

[kosmos]

Alonso deserves it more than Messi 

[AustinF1]

Nice writeup here from Oliver Harden, on Alonso's consistency and high standards of performance leading to this podium ... 

 

Fernando Alonso's Qatar podium is the result his F1 comeback deserves

 

https://www.planetf1...um-f1-comeback/

 

 

...

 

For all the turbulence he has encountered since Hungary 2014 – leaving Ferrari for the cruelty of the McLaren-Honda years before taking a two-year sabbatical when he grew tired of F1 – there is an argument to be made that of the 20 drivers who started in Qatar on Sunday, Alonso has changed the least in the intervening years.

 

And that, in truth, is actually no bad thing.

 

When the Spaniard’s return with the rebranded Alpine team was announced in the summer of 2020, many – with memories of the great Michael Schumacher’s miserable Mercedes comeback still fresh in the mind – expressed doubts over the signing of a driver approaching his 40th birthday who had spent two seasons out of the sport.

 

Yet almost from the start of 2021, he demonstrated he had lost none of his old skill, commitment and judgement, his brilliant start to the sprint race at Silverstone and his tough defence against Hamilton in Hungary – which effectively won the race for team-mate Esteban Ocon – sure signs of a driver operating at or close to his peak by midsummer.

 

As some of his rivals from the mid-to-late 2000s and early 2010s stagger and stumble towards retirement and lose their lustre with each passing race, Alonso has never shown the slightest hint of decline and never allowed his standards to drop.

 

In many ways that, more than the wins and the title challenges against all odds, stands as his greatest achievement.

 

With his first season back at Enstone nearing completion, all his comeback campaign seemed to be missing, as ever with Alonso, was a signature result – until now.

 

Clearly embracing the challenge of Losail, where the flowing collection of medium and high-speed corners rewarded the three staples of his driving style, Alonso’s lap for P5 in qualifying was within two tenths of Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes, with grid penalties for Bottas and Verstappen for yellow flag infringements promoting him to P3.

 

The sense of opportunity was evident on the grid in those intense eyes of his, slightly sunken by time and only augmented by the use of facemasks and the clear visors of night racing.

 

Alonso later admitted he was disappointed not to take the lead into the first corner, having started on soft tyres on the clean side of the track directly behind Hamilton’s medium-shod Mercedes, yet his forceful move past Pierre Gasly for P2 on the opening lap revealed a refusal to let this chance go to waste.

 

And after succumbing to the greater, almost other-worldly pace of Verstappen as soon as Lap 5 his attention soon turned to the recoveries of Bottas and the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez, the main threats to his podium spot.

 

“Tell Esteban to defend like a lion,” Alonso – set on nursing the hard tyres he fitted on Lap 23 of 57 to the end – said over team radio on the 45th lap, pleading with his team-mate to repay his favour from Hungary against the two-stopping Perez in what has become an unexpectedly productive partnership between two of the more historically abrasive personalities on the grid.

 

...

 

After all he’s achieved over the years you half expected Alonso to be slightly dismissive about the significance of the result, perhaps suggesting one more podium finish wouldn’t exactly change his life after the 97 he had previously enjoyed.

 

Yet his reflective post-race comments were those of a driver who had finally found the confirmation he was looking for, someone who has returned to F1 a more mature, humble and enthusiastic figure with a great willingness to build something meaningful and make his mark once more.

 

Alpine’s ability to take advantage of the moment they have been waiting for – next year’s rules reset – will go some way to deciding what sort of impact Alonso can make, but for now, it feels appropriate to leave the last word to him.

 

“Honestly after seven years waiting for a podium, it was tough sometimes,” Alonso told the official F1 website.

 

“You go up and down in your career and you need to keep up, never give up and show some determination, some dedication to the sport because you dedicate your life to Formula One, to train and to prepare for the next race.

 

“It doesn’t matter if you’re 11th, if you’re 15th or eventually when you can fight for a podium like today. I love racing and this podium means a lot.

 

“This podium is exactly what I was trying to find out in this comeback, the feeling again of being competitive, the champagne – and also the preparation for 2022.”

Edited by AustinF1, 01 December 2021 - 00:46.

[Eff1]

Nice article. Personally I’ve been thrilled with his return. The signs of a competitive comeback were already there in Bahrain - qualifying, his start, and the first stint hanging on to a train of competitive cars at the front.

[Viryfan]

New livery for the team this week-end in order to keep BP and Castrol happy which they have not been lately.

 

https://twitter.com/...332140447141896

 

Castrol clearly forced the Team to put the "Renault recommands Castrol" in the rear wing.

 

Castrol nearly left the team midway through the winter as they were unhappy with the re-branding.

[ARTGP]

 

Sounds like Castrol read Rossi the riot act  . 

Edited by ARTGP, 02 December 2021 - 18:51.

[Afrenchguy]

       
 

[jwill189]

 

Sounds like Castrol read Rossi the riot act  . 

 

 

Reminds me of the 150 Italia. Bad memories!

[AustinF1]

[rootten]

New livery for the team this week-end in order to keep BP and Castrol happy which they have not been lately.

 

https://twitter.com/...332140447141896

 

Castrol clearly forced the Team to put the "Renault recommands Castrol" in the rear wing.

 

Castrol nearly left the team midway through the winter as they were unhappy with the re-branding.

 

Wow! Really? Castrol was unhappy with the name Alpine? 

[ARTGP]

Wow! Really? Castrol was unhappy with the name Alpine? 

 

I can understand it. It's more than a name. In one year, Castrol was associated with a globally ubiquitous automobile, the Renault. The next, the team switches name to that of a very small automaker. People don't know what Alpine is in the way they know what Renault is.  Castrol's perceived value in the sponsorship comes from association with Renault and Formula 1.  They lost half of that when the team name changed. Alpine doesn't carry the recognition that Renault does.   It's a bit like signing up to sponsor Ferrari, and then having the team rebrand to Abarth or Lancia.

Edited by ARTGP, 02 December 2021 - 21:12.

[Viryfan]

I can understand it. It's more than a name. In one year, Castrol was associated with a globally ubiquitous automobile, the Renault. The next, the team switches name to that of a very small automaker. People don't know what Alpine is in the way they know what Renault is.  Castrol's perceived value in the sponsorship comes from association with Renault and Formula 1.  They lost half of that when the team name changed. Alpine doesn't carry the recognition that Renault does.   It's a bit like signing up to sponsor Ferrari, and then having the team rebrand to Abarth or Lancia.

 

bang on the money

 

so Renault duly obliged with the huge "Renault recommands Castrol" on the rear wing which is here to stay...

[rootten]

bang on the money

 

so Renault duly obliged with the huge "Renault recommands Castrol" on the rear wing which is here to stay...

 

I hope that the green won't stay...

 

Alpine has the best livery on the grid!

[aray]

If Castrol gives enough money Renault/Alpine should paint whole car green if necessary.

Edited by aray, 03 December 2021 - 08:44.

[jwill189]

If Castrol gives enough money Renault/Alpine should paint whole car green if necessary.

 

When was the last all-green car? The Jordan 7up car from the early 90s?

[BRG]

When was the last all-green car? The Jordan 7up car from the early 90s?

Caterham?

[Alburaq]

Grip is already good according to Budkowski on Sky despite the new and green track. so Alpine should have some leeway with the setup and DF level and could limit the damage on this 80%-full-throttle-track (which is a bit too much for the brave but old RE19B') 

[Ferrim]

It's also full of fast corners, and not many traction areas. It should be better than average for the car.

[jwill189]

Caterham?

 

Yes, forgot that one.

[AustinF1]

Caterham?

Yep. [OT] As an amateur F1 photog, those cars were among my favorites to shoot. Here are some from 2013 in Austin. i always loved how this livery always produced so many different greens in different light...

 

 

 

 

I spoilered the rest to save space ...

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

[Alburaq]

Budkowski sums it all well (speaking about this car, the team, Piastri, next year etc)
 

Spoiler

Budkowski: We were expecting to be good in Qatar because of some of the circuit characteristics and the reality is, with a midfield that is so close, a tenth or two in one direction or the other actually creates quite big swings in performance between the teams – but I think it's fair to say we weren't expecting to be that competitive. The whole weekend started really well and clearly we were much more forward on the grid and in the race that we were expecting to be. I think a combination of preparation, on this new circuit, and the team has done a great job and a great effort in preparing the race, and yeah, we got some things right and some other teams didn't quite get them right and as a result the difference was quite large and was there to be seen. The great thing for me is that, beyond that preparation, that is between the trackside team and the factory, we then delivered at the track in a quite spectacular way again, which shows that it's quite promising for next year – because if we do manage to produce a quicker package – which certainly is the objective – then we have what it takes to race it to the highest level.

Q: And Marcin, looking at the season as a whole now, if you finish fifth, is that a fair reflection of where you are as a team at the moment?
Budkowski: On pure pace I think we're somewhere between fifth and sixth place, depending on the tracks, so in a way I think we're probably over-delivering a little bit, the pace of the car, if we do finish fifth. It's a tricky one, how to assess this, because in one way, it's the third season in a row we would have finished in fifth position in the Championship and that can be seen – and rightly so – as stagnation if you want; equally we are using pretty much the same engine for the third year, pretty much the same chassis and the same gearbox for the third year in a row. We were planning to use them for two years, it was a conscious strategic decision. We weren't planning to use them for three but that was the result of Covid and the current regulations being extended by one year. So, with a car that has pretty much the same mechanical basis, if you want, we've managed to maintain our position in the Championship, and actually get closer to pole position, closer to the best, if you want. So, that shows that the other areas of the team, if you want, have moved forward, and have progressed. The ones that we haven't frozen. So that's quite exciting for next year, because we're going to develop everything. We're going to have a brand-new engine, we're going to have obviously a new chassis and new aero because the rules are changing, and we'll be starting from scratch and we've seen that, with the right opportunities, the team can do a great job in developing the areas we can develop, and then operate the car at the track. The trackside team has proven this year that they can do the job. So yeah, it's in our hands now to do the best possible package for next year.

Q: (Dieter Rencken) To both team representatives please. The financial regulations are not only complex, they are also new and I guess next year around about March will be the acid test. Do you have any concerns that the FIA may not be able to enforce them properly, 100%, due to their complexities?
Budkowski: Yeah, same thing. There's quite a lot of checks going on. We get regular visits from the FIA. We get regular requests for data and for information. Probably more than we were expecting and they are at very short notice and including surprise visits to the factory and we are very happy about it, because that's how it should be and that's how it should be policed. We are lucky enough not to be impacted by the cost cap this year so we are taking it as a learning year to be ready for the following years, but yeah, obviously we are very much in favour of the cost cap. We have been one of the teams that has supported it throughout the process and worked very closely with the FIA to make it as robust and as policeable as possible and we are obviously in favour of it being policed and respected very well because we think it's the right thing for Formula 1. So, so far, very good.

Q: (Luke Smith - Autosport) A question for Marcin. Laurent Rossi did an interview a couple of weeks ago in which he spoke about possible organisational and management changes going into next season for the Alpine team. Obviously you have run with a couple of guys, yourself and Davide, overseeing things this season. Has Laurent said what those changes next year might be and who would be involved in that?

Budkowski: Honestly, we're still racing. We still have two races to go and I don't really want to comment on this, especially as it's probably the most important two months for this team since Renault and now Alpine came back to Formula 1, because this new set of regulations, the cost cap, as we just mentioned, the new technical regulations, the fact that we are having a new engine for next year, it's a very, very intense period at the factory, both in terms of the development of the car and putting performance on it and actually getting a car in time for testing next year, because, as you do, we have pushed everything to the limit, as far as possible, to gain as much performance as possible, so I think as part of the management of the team my responsibility is to protect the team from any kind of gossip and rumours and let them work in the most serene and quiet way as possible and focus on delivering a car that is as quick as possible. So we'll talk about it maybe at the end of the year or into next year but at the moment I think my focus is really to protect the team from any kind of distraction.

Q: (Edd Straw – The Race, via email) Marcin, looking at the performance of the car over the whole year, how happy are you with way the team has hit its technical and developmental targets and can you give an overview of what you feel have been the strengths and weaknesses of the Alpine package?
Budkowski: It comes back a little bit to what I said earlier. The fact that we froze the engine three years ago certainly made us lose some ground, because our competitors have developed. It was a strategic decision and it was related to preparing the new regulations of the new cars. I think it was the right decision, with the resources that we have. Obviously it was painful, because we see some of our competitors' progress. And it was the same with the chassis and the gearbox. Maybe they are less differentiating directly through onto the performance but they enable you to change the geometry of the car and evolve it to find more performance. So we suffered from this. Aerodynamically, we have developed the car. With the new regulations we haven't done the best job, well, the changed regulations from 20 through to '21. These modifications, the floor mostly, some people have done a better job than us and some people have done a worse job than us, so we have missed a bit our targets. If we hadn't missed them I think we would be more comfortably in fifth position, but I don't think we would have been able to challenge these guys but we would have been nudged closer. There are always regrets but there are lots of positives in the way team works. In the last three years you know the team has improved massively. Last year we had lots of issues with the reliability of the car. This year, there are still two races to go, but we have had effectively one DNF, one real DNF, that was related to a car issue. The trackside team has proven very, very good management of the tyres, the strategy, the racing, interaction of the drivers, we've mentioned that, so lots of positives to take and lots of positives that are also no visible yet, in the factory, in terms of how we are developing next year's car, which is full of new technology and new stuff, so you know, it's frustrating sometimes to see that… we would have liked to make a bit more progress this year, but equally we have done it for a reason and it's because we have focused for a while now on next year and hopefully that pays off.

Q: (Andrew Benson – BBC) Marcin, this is for you. You have recently signed Oscar Piastri as your third driver and presumably you have your eye on him potentially getting a seat in F1 in the future. Esteban is on a long-term contract, three years I believe you announced it as. Fernando has a one-year deal. If Fernando is still driving at the level he is now in the summer of next year and he's talking about wanting to stay in Formula 1 for another two, three, four years if he can, how are you going to make that decision as to what to do for the future beyond 2022? How will you decide when you can't compare them directly, who you should pick?

Budkowski: It's a good question, but it's not about a direct comparison. Oscar's announcement, beyond being an announcement as such, if you want, that he will be our reserve driver, comes with an awful lot of other things if you want. Oscar is going to be very involved in the simulator and he is already doing some of this but not as much as we'd like because obviously he is racing in Formula 2 and he still needs to win that championship this year but he is going to be doing a lot of development work, a lot of simulator work, spending time in the factory, very close with the engineers, he's going to be doing quite a lot of track running as well. Well, he's going to run in Abu Dhabi for the post-season test this year. The regulations next year imposes to run him at two free practice sessions. We'll do a bespoke testing programme for him in Formula 1 cars, to make sure he really, really ramps up. We'll develop Oscar a lot, beyond just taking him to the races as our third driver. To come back to your question, how are we going to make that decision, well, let's see next year first. If the car is quick and Fernando is happy, then we will have one type of discussion. If that's not the case then we will have a different type of discussion. But certainly we have a great talent with Oscar in the wings and if there is no seat available at Alpine I'm sure we will find a solution for him to drive a Formula 1 car and stay in the Alpine family.

 

[Joseki]

 

What is DHS?

[Amz964]

Dynamic heave spring apparently.

[kumo7]

DHC is nothing. Just a blind screen. Smart Fernando and the team.

[ARTGP]

Dynamic heave spring apparently.

 

Sounds like the ride height lowering system Mercedes have. Could be testing that for next year.

Edited by ARTGP, 04 December 2021 - 13:39.

[prty]

 

What is DHS?

Wonder if they forgot to activate the private radio channel they use while in the pits.

[Amz964]

Pace for Nando seems to have disappeared not sure if the adjustment in tyre pressures since yesterday has effected them or what. Well done to Esteban for getting into Q3 on mediums.

[jwill189]

Pace for Nando seems to have disappeared not sure if the adjustment in tyre pressures since yesterday has effected them or what. Well done to Esteban for getting into Q3 on mediums.

 

I only watched Alonso's on-board, and he said the balance was gone. The car was understeering in some corners and oversteering off a lot of other corners. It was ugly to watch.

[kosmos]

Disappointing qualy by Fernando. Hopefully both can get points tomorrow.

[Sebastien007]

It up and down for Fernando this season.

He will have to raise his game next year.

[Alburaq]

It up and down for Fernando this season.

He will have to raise his game next year.

 

Mostly ups, and very few downs (2 or 3 if we include yesterday)

But yesterday wasn't necessarily an Alonso-down.

It's definitely not the first time a driver finds his Pirelli-tiered car unrecognizable between sessions, or even between runs, without having altered the setup... (doesn't mean Alonso or his team are completely faultless... and knowing Alonso and this team, they'll leave no stone unturned to find out why this happened)   

Anyways, Ocon's P9 was more representative (after RIC and SAI underperformance), like Permane said. And once again this year, the FP2 result was not representative, atleast qualy-sim-wise.

The old PU is 35hp behind the best according to Prost, so you don't need to have done advanced math to conclude that the A521 will only struggle a bit on this kind of tracks (Like Alonso predicted in Thursday). We have nearly 80% of full throttle.

Interestingly, out of the last seven tracks, we've had five that require engine power. I include Austin in them, which is not normally an engine track, but its extreme bumpiness forced the teams to put all the DF they have on the car, and that takes away any leeway from Alpine in terms of aero setup. This team often puts 'smaller' rear wings this year to compensate for the lack of horsepower and to limit the damage in the straight lines, but it was not possible in Austin where they had to run a Monaco-like aero package. It's exactly like Silverstone 2018 for example. And that's definitely one of the reasons they struggled in Austin.

Just look at the US GP qualifying speedtrap , Alonso is last and it's rare to see the A521 so low. (Ocon is at the top of the table yes... thanks to Alonso's tow).

Qatar and Turkey are more balanced. And Yas too. 

Edited by Alburaq, 05 December 2021 - 13:42.

[dreamerBiH]

Great chance for Ocon to score some good pts for the team. Alo doesnt seem to like this track, also when I was following his on board can he was also complaining about the lack of deployment

Edited by dreamerBiH, 05 December 2021 - 18:09.

[Sebastien007]

A race to forget for Fernando this week-end. Let's hope a big result for Ocon.

[KnucklesAgain]

That was close for Our Esteban in a mental race. But anyway good points for WCC. Well done. Day to forget for ALO

[Amz964]

Ahhhhh feel so bad for Esteban he drove a great great race!

[nk28]

Great race from Esteban.

 

They need to find out what was wrong with Fernando's car. He commented after qualifying that they couldn't investigate/fix the problem because of parc ferme. Hopefully Abu Dhabi is better.

[Borko]

Heroic effort by Ocon, podium or not.

[Amz964]

Ughhhh so annoying that Merc engine is something else. I would say this was Ocon best drive to date even better than Hungary in my view he was super consistent in the race which he hasn't always been.

[jwill189]

Great race from Esteban.

 

They need to find out what was wrong with Fernando's car. He commented after qualifying that they couldn't investigate/fix the problem because of parc ferme. Hopefully Abu Dhabi is better.

 

Esteban maximized what he had today. It was very heads up thinking to stay out during the first safety car. When you see a car like Schumacher's wedged against the wall like that, there is no way that car can be removed any time soon and without wall damage.

 

Besides handling, Alonso's car had deployment problems on the straight and the DRS wouldn't open for him in the early laps. Even in the Alfa Romeo slipstream, those cars pulled away from him and Sainz caught up from behind. Thank goodness that nightmare is over.

 

Neither car left with millions of dollars of damage before Abu Dhabi... a team like Haas must be losing its mind right now.

[Viryfan]

Vital first lap from Ocon to get around elbows out from the AT.

[Joseki]

Absolutely gutted for Esteban who drove a race even better than Hungary in my opinion, and crucial points for P5 in the WCC which now looks very, very safe.

[Amz964]

Absolutely gutted for Esteban who drove a race even better than Hungary in my opinion, and crucial points for P5 in the WCC which now looks very, very safe.

Agreed P5 is now pretty much sealed now baring a crazy race in Abu Dhabi

[Viryfan]

 

 

[engineblock1]

P5 in WCC is sealed as to beat a 29 point advantage AT needs 1-2 in Abu Dhabi. While I can definitely expect Gasly to go for it should situation arise but Tsunoda

 

Overall it is a very excellent result for Alpine this season considering AM and AT had on merit better cars. Definitely helped by smart driving from OCO and ALO on multiple occasions as not to forget Tsunoda being the weak link, VET past his prime and STR - energetic but inconsistent.

[Silberpfeil]

Didn’t watch any F1 this weekend because f*** Saudi Arabia, but I just got caught up on the major events. It looks like it was quite a drive by our resident Frenchman. Quite amazing that this car can still do these things and will very, very likely finish P5 in the WCC. Mad couple of weeks after the gloom starting the triple-header.

[dn12005]

Vital first lap from Ocon to get around elbows out from the AT.

That is the Ocon that we were missing at the beginning of the season, when he tended to lose a couple of places on the opening lap.  He has been sticking his nose up in it these last few races, and I'm loving it...and can't wait to see if he improves upon this next season.

[Anja]

Looking back at the team rebuild since Renault came back, I think there's a big progress in the strategy / race operation department. They are now able to take advantage of these chances and maximise opportunities when it really wasn't the case a few years ago. 

Edited by Anja, 05 December 2021 - 23:45.

[DeKnyff]

Podium sooooo close... 

[balaclava]

Legendary race by Esteban. Such a cruel way of losing a podium... but what can you do against the Merc.

Trash and forgettable race by Fernando.

[kosmos]

Absolutely awful race by Fernando, something clearly happen with his car after FP. Ocon in the other hand, driver of the day.

[dn12005]

Absolutely awful race by Fernando, something clearly happen with his car after FP. Ocon in the other hand, driver of the day.

 

No question...at all!  DOTD is my opinion as well!