Alpine plans new floor for Singapore

The Singapore Grand Prix will mark the entry into a new floor for the A522sAlpine who want to lock 4th place among the Manufacturers as quickly as possible.

Published on 15/09/2022 à 16:21

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Alpine plans new 'huge amount of downforce' floor in Singapore

Alpine plans improvements for Singapore Grand Prix. ©DPPI/F. Gooden

The Italian Grand Prix marked a halt for Alpine. In the points with at least one car for 11 Grands Prix (from Miami to Zandvoort), the Blues left Monza empty-handed after 11th place inEsteban Ocon and the abandonment of Fernando Alonso shortly after halfway. Beyond the poor balance sheet, the Blues also suffered a lot on the track being always behind and especially compared to the direct rival, McLaren, which returned to 18 points.

« We didn't expect to suffer, admitted Alan Permane, sports director ofAlpine, somewhat surprised by the sudden lack of performance of the A522s. I thought it would be fine. We rode very well on Friday and that's what's complicated, we don't understand. In the long runs without DRS, so using all our drag, we looked good, faster than McLaren and everyone we race against.

We definitely weren't as fast as the top three cars, but there didn't seem to be any major problems (…) We definitely had a bit of trouble finding the pace. We suffered in qualifying. Both drivers said they made mistakes, which is unusual, so the car was clearly difficult to drive. In the race we didn't have any pace, and we didn't have the pace we had on Friday afternoon (…) So we have some work to do to try to understand what happened."

Retirement and end of series for Fernando Alonso. ©DPPI

Improvements to get back on track

Among the most active teams in terms of developments this year, Alpine don't plan to stop there. Wanting to overtake McLaren for good in the fight for 4th place among the Manufacturers, the A arrow will arrive in Singapore with a significant improvement in its suitcases which could prove very useful on the streets of the city-state.

« We have a new floor coming for Singapore, says Alan Permanente. This one provides a huge amount of support. We'll be back where we need to be and we're really looking forward to getting there, and especially to Suzuka, with this car. It's gonna be fun. » Hoping that this new element brings them complete satisfaction because McLaren does not intend to release the pressure.

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