Alonso: “I need to improve more than the car”

The performance of Fernando Alonso was one of the rare reasons for satisfaction in the clan Alpine during a complicated Bahrain Grand Prix for the team at the A arrow. 

After two years of absence F1, the double world champion proved in Sakhir that he had maintained a good driving style by hoisting his A521 into the Top 10 in qualifying while the latest creation ofenstone (United Kingdom) and Viry-Châtillon (Essonne) probably did not have the means on paper. 

The race proved more complicated and was shortened by an abandonment due to overheating of the brake ducts, but Alonso was still able to demonstrate that he remained a fierce competitor during intense battles. 

Alpine brought a new aerodynamic package this weekend to Imola, including a redesigned front wing. If Alonso hopes that these developments will help the French team to close the gap of several tenths which separates it from the front of the middle of the grid, the Iberian believes that he can contribute more to the progress ofAlpine. 

« I am happy with the new features brought here, I think they will result in a performance gain, declared Alonso at the FIA ​​press conference on Thursday. At the same time, I probably need to improve more than the car itself at the moment. 

In Bahrain, I felt like I needed to get my bearings in the different phases of an F1 weekend: the procedures, the formation lap, the start, the pit stops. There was a scent of newness after 2 years of absence. 

I no longer have this weight of the first GP on my shoulders, nor the stress of being confronted with these situations again so I hope to gain in competitiveness ». 

Alonso has not remained inactive since his first F1 retirement, taken at the end of the 2018 season. The Spaniard notably distinguished himself at the Dakar, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indianapolis 500. Experiences that allowed the Asturian Bull to add new strings to his bow.  

« You can learn a lot outside of F1, he added. The Grands Prix are a very closed environment where you repeat the same things, the same routine, every 2 weeks. 

You follow the instructions of your team in order to optimize all elements of the car. We tell you where to preserve the tires, where to save energy in the battery, where to carry out departure simulations, etc.

Everything is so under control that you can't really improvise. In Endurance, you can be a lot more yourself and you encounter lots of different scenarios on the track. The work is necessarily more collective since you share the car with teammates.

En IndyCar, the level of preparation of the settings is even more advanced than in F1 because the cars are the same between all the teams and the smallest detail can have an impact on driving style, performance, overtaking ability, etc.

I have learned a lot over the last few years and I hope I can apply these lessons in F1 ».