Alonso forced to change engine in Australia

So comfortably installed in 7^e racing position and in good posture to deliver important points to Alpine, Fernando Alonso was betrayed by its mechanics during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (March 27). The engine of his A522 having given up the ghost 15 laps from the end, the Spaniard had no other choice but to immobilize his car to return to your garage on foot. A terrible disappointment for the double world champion who nevertheless took a brand new ICE (internal combustion engine) for the weekend.

Back on the Old Continent, the engineers of the French team were able to get to work to investigate the origin of the problem. Quickly, a culprit was found. “ It's not the engine, it's the water pump., Laurent explained to us Red, general manager ofAlpine, during a meeting at Viruses-Châtillon. This led to a cooling defect and subsequently a cascade of events: the engine cooled less, the oil heated up, etc. creating more problems. "

Alpine already touches the engine allocation

Despite the first signs of weakness seen by the engineers of the A arrow, Fernando Alonso continued on his way but ultimately decided to abandon the race. “ Fernando was able to continue driving and the engine was running but in obviously not ideal conditions. We preferred to stop it, continues Laurent Rossi. The water pump was faulty. The cause of the problem has been identified. I hope we get it fixed for Melbourne. This is a teething problem with the new organs which are working for the first time and which we have not had the opportunity to fully validate yet, as is the case for all teams. The advantage is that it is neither structural nor intrinsic. The engine itself, its design, or the architectural choices made should not be called into question, because the engine does what is expected of it. »

Faced with a major mechanical problem, Alpine then hoped to be able to replace the element in question for the Australian Grand Prix (April 10). Unfortunately, the French manufacturer will not be able to carry out its mission and will have to equip Fernando Alonso's A522 with a new powertrain. A big blow after two contested rounds when the allocation is only 3 engines for the whole season (23 GP) before receiving penalties on the grid.

« The problem is that this accessory (water pump) is integrated into the engine, underlines Laurent Rossi. The water pump eventually disintegrated and fell into the engine. If we wanted to repair it, we would have had to break the seal. The engine is therefore lost for us. Even if his physical integrity is not directly affected, for us, it is one less engine."

Despite this setback, Alpine can keep smiling as the 3rd round of the year approaches. The Blues have indeed made an encouraging start to the season with 16 points gleaned in 2 races and a 4th place in the Manufacturers' standings behind the big players that are Ferrari, Red Bull et Mercedes, the best start since the return of Renault en F1 in 2016. Concerning the engine used in Bahrain at the start of the 2022 campaign, the French team should be able to reuse it later in the year as it had announced ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. From Australia?

Gonzalo Forbes, with Jérémy Satis

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