Alpine facing the “unknown part” of Brazil

After the anger and frustration of Mexico, Alpine comes to São Paulo with a spirit of conquest. More efficient on paper than McLaren in Mexico, the French team once again missed crucial points with the abandonment of Fernando Alonso and the defeat ofEsteban Ocon face Daniel Ricciardo. Beaten but not defeated, the teamenstone aims for an immediate rebound in Brazil, the penultimate event of the 2022 season. In this fierce fight for 4th place in the constructors' championship, Alpine is still 6 points ahead of its British rival.

“Two opportunities” for Alpine to take off in the championship

A very fragile little mattress which does not deteriorate the motivation of the two drivers of the French team. A few days after his “blood stroke” at the end of the Mexican race, Fernando Alonso begins his penultimate weekend with determination with Alpine. “We have to score as many points as possible. This is our objective during all our race weekends and it will be the same in Brazil, confided the double Spanish world champion. We thought the fight for fourth place in the Manufacturers' standings would go all the way to Abu Dhabi, and it seems that is the case. We know that when we have a clear, worry-free weekend, we have a fast car that is more than capable of scoring points. We will continue to push until the end! »

Very comfortable this season in complicated weather conditions, like his qualifying in Canada, Fernando Alonso expects everything at Interlagos, while storms are forecast throughout the weekend. “There is always an element of the unknown when going to Brazil. The weather is difficult to predict and we have seen some tough races in the past due to this unpredictability, warned the native of Oviedo, who won his two world titles in Brazil, in 2005 and 2006. And we will likely have to deal with changing weather conditions, whether in qualifying, in the Sprint race or during the Grand Prix. Thanks to the Sprint format, we have two opportunities to score points and increase our lead over McLaren before the final Grand Prix. »

The Sprint format? " I like this ! » says Ocon

On the other side of the garage, Esteban Ocon is approaching this Sprint race weekend with great ambitions. The Norman has already exceeded his 2021 points total and wants to aim even higher in the last two Grands Prix. “Preparation-wise, I approach it the same way as any other Grand Prix weekend. But this Sprint format requires all teams to give their best from the start, rather than ramping up until Saturday afternoon for example. And I like it, confided the French pilot. There are more points at stake and the show offered is generally of good quality. It's the last boost to this season with Abu Dhabi the following week and I know that everyone, both on the circuit and in our factories, is 110% to finish in style. »

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