Comfortable in the rain, Alpine will want to confirm in the dry at Suzuka

Alpine is well there in Japan. The French team placed its two cars in the top 10 during the two free practice sessions at Suzuka. If the result is anecdotal given the weather conditions, it was an A522 which set the best time during FP1, with Fernando Alonso. The two Franco-British single-seaters placed 7th and 9th in FP2 later in the afternoon on Friday, thus confirming a good adaptation to the Japanese track.

After a disastrous weekend in Singapore, Alpine absolutely must catch up in Japan. Passed behind McLaren in the constructors' championship, the team ofenstone can't afford to lose any more points. Thus, the Blues are preparing for any eventuality according to Pat Fry, technical director of the French team. “The driving was quite limited for everyone, explained the British engineer. However, we did enough laps to understand the level of balance of the car in these conditions and to review our initial program. For now, the forecast is for dry weather tomorrow. We will have an intense final free practice session to carry out everything we usually do on Friday, with a mixture of tire evaluation and race management with both high and low fuel. There is a chance of rain on race day, but potentially right after the finish, so we need to be prepared for all conditions. »

The pilots Alpine satisfied and confident before qualifying

As for the drivers, satisfaction is the order of the day. Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, delighted to be able to return to Suzuka after three years of absence, are optimistic for the rest of the weekend. “It was a good day for us and it’s a pleasure to be back at Suzuka, declared the Spanish driver, who came first in Free Practice 1. The car performed well in both sessions today and to be able to take first place at the end of FP1 was a good thing. I can not wait for tomorrow. We will see what we are able to do in potentially dry conditions. »

Same story on the other side of the garage Alpine, at Esteban Ocon. “As expected, the weather was wet today, but we were able to ride more than we initially thought. The car performed well in both sessions and we gained some good information from the programs we reviewed today. I really got the most out of this set of intermediate tires,” confided the Norman at the end of EL2. The Frenchman wants his car also performs well in dry conditions, planned for qualifying. “ I'm looking forward to tomorrow's sessions which should take place in the dry, and to competing in what I hope will be a good qualification for the team. »

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