Alpine vs. McLaren: who will emerge victorious in the duel for 4th place?

Alpine salary. McLaren. French enthusiasm against British phlegm. Behind the almost undivided domination of Red Bull et Max Verstappen, the Franco-English duel is undoubtedly writing the history of this 2022 season. An intense and merciless battle, whether on the track… or off it. The case Piastres only succeeded in spicing up the debates a little more in a fierce fight for 4th place in the manufacturers' standings.

On the one hand, Alpine is aiming for a return to the top 4 to get back to the top and revive a dynamic that has been slipping for 3 years. On the other hand, McLaren wants to remain the 4th force on the grid after a complicated transition to the new generation of car. With 6 Grands Prix remaining from the outcome of this duel between the two teams, AUTOhebdo analyzes what the strong points and weak points of each will be for the end of the season.

Drivers: advantage Alpine

It is perhaps on this point that the main difference will be made for the last six events of the year. At present, Alpine undoubtedly has a more solid and reliable line-up than McLaren. Despite the turmoil caused by Fernando Alonso in August and his surprise departure from Aston Martin in 2023, the Spaniard still seems as determined and conquering with the French team. Esteban Ocon, slightly behind in qualifying, still puts in solid performances in the race and collects big points every weekend. 

For McLaren, it's almost a fight with unequal weapons, 2 against 1. If Lando Norris saves the furniture at every meeting, difficult to say the same for Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian is often very far from his teammate's pace and is struggling to score points this season (19 points compared to 88 for Norris...). Above all, the native of Perth seems to have stalled mentally since the announcement of his departure from McLaren. The Woking team will therefore have to find ways to re-motivate Ricciardo to try to play for 4th place among the constructors with the same means asAlpine.

McLaren will have to find a solution to motivate Daniel Ricciardo at the end of the season… © Florent Gooden / DPPI

Car: tie

By removing Daniel Ricciardo from the equation, the single-seaters ofAlpine and McLaren have approximately the same level of performance. After a promising start to the season but disrupted by a lack of realism, the French team has regularly won against the British team since the Monaco Grand Prix (McLaren only beat Alpine only once since, during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza).

The A522 is at home on all types of circuits, especially on fast circuits. The Viry-Châtillon engine is capable of competing with the best while the engineers ofenstone bring numerous developments to each event. In Singapore, Alpine will establish a new floor, an improvement eagerly awaited by the French team. Over the last 6 meetings of the season in Formula 1, four might suit theAlpine A522 (Japan, Austin, Mexico and Abu Dhabi). Tracks with high speed turns, very fluid with long straights.

At McLaren, the MCL36 is also regularly performing well on all circuits. Unlike theAlpine, the orange car is faster on winding circuits, with medium and slow corners like Budapest or Imola, where Lando Norris even managed to get a podium at the start of the season. The Briton has achieved a top 7 in qualifying in five of the last seven Grands Prix (including a 4th place in Hungary) and quite often beats the Alpine the Saturday. McLaren will also make numerous changes at the end of the season, in the hope of making up for the 18 points behind the French team. It could in particular do well on the tracks of Singapore and Brazil, which better correspond to the qualities of the orange single-seater.

Alpine – McLaren, breathtaking duel on the track and in the championship © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

Reliability: McLaren advantage

This is the big question at the end of the season: will reliability play a role in the outcome of the duel? Alpine – McLaren? It might well be so, unfortunately. On the French side, even if reliability is much better today than it was at the start of the season, it still remains a sensitive point for the A522. Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso have already exceeded all quotas on power unit element allocation and could still face grid penalties by the end of the season.

At McLaren, engine reliability Mercedes will be a key factor in grabbing a few points against Alpine. Despite Daniel Ricciardo's retirement during the Italian Grand Prix, the MCL36 is renowned for its solidity: only 3 retirements in 16 Grands Prix, making it the 2nd most reliable team this season behind Mercedes. However, be careful with engine penalties: at present, Daniel Ricciardo has not used them and Lando Norris has changed his power unit at Spa. The English team could exceed the quotas on circuits conducive to overtaking, such as in Mexico or Austin.

AUTOhebdo's opinion: slight advantage for Alpine

With a little hindsight, it's difficult to say whoAlpine or McLaren is best equipped to secure 4th place in the constructor's championship. The two teams each have qualities and faults which balance the scales. The single-seaters have very similar performances and the race management of the two teams is rather effective on each event.

However, two elements tip the balance in favor ofAlpine at the end of the season. First element, the lead of 18 units recorded by the French team ahead of McLaren. All the points taken are no longer to be taken, and this gap, even if it is not insurmountable, represents a small cushion of comfort for Alpine. And second element, perhaps ultimately the most important: McLaren is playing 2 against 1 with Daniel Ricciardo non-existent in the fight. If Lando Norris wears the “Papaya” colors of the British team high, he could be no match for the strong Alonso-Ocon pair. For 4th place among the manufacturers, we will therefore put, chauvinism excluded, a small part for Alpine.

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