Mixed season for Alpine. The French manufacturer (ex-Renault) should finish in an almost unexpected fifth place, obtained thanks to a victory of Esteban Ocon in Hungary and a podium in Qatar of Fernando Alonso. The emblematic Spanish rider, who joined Alpine last year, has thus signed his 98th career podium. His first since 2014. In Doha, the CEO of Alpine Laurent Rossi spoke to AFP about the future of the Spaniard, saying that “haswith Fernando (Alonso), we won’t do the year too long“. They‘is also projected towards “the lottery” from 2022, which will “deeply reshuffle the cards”.
Podio 98 está en casa. Perdón por el retraso
Podium 98th is already at home. Sorry for the delay #Qatar # f1 #alpine #podio pic.twitter.com/3sVsPt2dOH
– Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) November 21, 2021
Can Alpine fans hope for more winning chances in 2022?
Laurent Rossi: Yeah, probably. It’s always difficult to predict, it’s a bit like saying you’re going to win the lottery. The new regulations will profoundly reshuffle the cards and we are not immune to someone having a design, an inspiration on one of the parts of the car that gives them a certain competitive advantage for a little while. So it can reshuffle the hierarchy. But the teams will also copy each other, it’s natural, and therefore the hierarchy can also evolve. We will potentially have more surprises. Afterwards, we can also end up with a team that crushes everything, for seven years like Mercedes. I hope not, or else it’s us!
You just signed Oscar Piastri as the 2022 reserve driver. What is the outlook for the 20-year-old Australian prospect, knowing that Ocon is on contract until 2024 and Fernando Alonso is not ready to leave?
If we take it in reserve, it is with the idea of making it a pillar of the stable. On paper, it is the driver who could take over from Fernando.
From 2023?
We haven’t talked about it, neither for him nor for Fernando, because the contract is to see with Fernando, who remains one of the best drivers on the field, to know until when he can maintain his level of performance. As long as he maintains it, he is unbeatable, a priori better placed than Oscar today. It’s logical, there is nothing to be ashamed of to be behind a double world champion (2005, 2006 with Renault) who probably should have had more titles. But the day when – and it can happen very quickly – his level drops, for X reason, we said to ourselves with Fernando that indeed we will make the right decision and we will not do the year too long or even the races of too much, and that will give Oscar a place. In the meantime, we have to make sure that Oscar does not stagnate. Then we will see, in 2023, how things are going for Fernando.