Alonso: Lack of trend makes finding race pace answer hard
Fernando Alonso says the lack of a clear trend about Alpine's race pace struggles means he cannot be sure yet if the Formula 1 team has got on top of its issues.
The French car manufacturer has been open that key to scoring more points this year is getting a better understanding of why its A521 car is quicker over a single lap in qualifying than it is in a race.
Alonso says the team has some ideas about what could be causing the problems with its tyre management, but is aware the situation is complicated by the team having had some especially strong Sundays too.
"We do have some theories, and we investigate obviously after every race what is happening," he said. "But there is not a clear trend for when we had good performance.
"For example, in Portimao, in the race, we had less degradation than the others. We had a very good speed and we were overtaking people in the last couple of laps, like crazy. So, it is nothing that it will tell us one way or the other [what is happening].
"Every weekend seems to change, so it's a little bit unknown for the race. But Friday here [in France] looking okay, so let's see what we can do."
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Alonso has qualified ninth for the French GP and is hoping to add to his points tally after his sixth place in the most recent race in Baku.
However, he thinks Alpine has to be realistic about its overall speed at the moment, as he thinks it is not fast enough to think it can make major moves forward.
"I think big points is going to be a challenge," he said. "I think we have very competitive people around us: the two McLarens, the two Ferraris, and [Pierre] Gasly.
"And obviously there are people who are starting from P 11 with a free choice of tyre. So we have to be realistic. Optimistic? Yes. But realistic as well about the chances to score big points. I think it's going to be few points available but in a normal race not so many."
He added: "We know that there are a couple of teams, cars and drivers that are stronger than us in one lap pace and in the race as well.
"Ferrari, they were in pole position in the last two races, and now they're starting just in front of us. Are we thinking to beat them? Hopefully. But they were in pole positions in the last two races, so I don't know if we are exactly in the same league, at the moment. Let's see what we can do."
Related video
Horner: Red Bull can beat Mercedes anywhere if it wins at Paul Ricard
The new age of sponsorship facilitated by F1’s relevancy push
Gasly: AlphaTauri has the “right tools” to recover F1 form
Pierre Gasly believes his AlphaTauri Formula 1 team has the “right tools” with which to solve its recent issues.
The consequences of Aston Martin’s radical F1 rear wing design
Formula 1’s 2022 technical regulations have been described as overly prescriptive as the rulemakers look to stifle specific developments in order that their overall goals are achieved – but here’s a plot twist.
Horner: "Timing is right" for Vettel's F1 retirement
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that his former driver Sebastian Vettel has chosen the right time to retire from Formula 1.
Zhou focused on Alfa Romeo stay in F1 2023 silly season
Zhou Guanyu says his focus lies with retaining his Formula 1 seat at Alfa Romeo for 2023 ahead of talks about his future after the summer break.
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last