Alpine satisfied with double entry into the points in Baku
Alpine achieved its third double points finish of the season in Baku. The French team brings back seven valuable points from Azerbaijan, a situation that pleases the drivers despite some reservations expressed by one of them.
After Bahrain and Barcelona, Alpine once again experienced the joy of placing both of its cars in the points in Baku. The French team scored seven points in a race marked by numerous retirements but few racing incidents as expected.
A double presence in the top 10 that satisfies both drivers, starting with Fernando Alonso who, just like in Monaco two weeks ago, finishes 7th. « Yes, happy with P7. Of course, we benefited from the retirements ahead of us, the Ferraris and Tsunoda. But yes, these things happen in Baku and we take six points, which tastes good after the seventh place in Monaco, and seventh again here. »
Alonso specifically praises the very good top speed of his A522. « A lot of speed on the straights today, which helped us keep the cars behind, so we knew it and I think we maximized our strengths today. Let’s see if we can find a bit more performance in Canada because with two or three tenths, I believe we can really take a huge step forward. »
Esteban Ocon, on the other hand, secures the 10th place point. Despite the satisfaction of both cars scoring points, the Normandy native still criticizes a subpar pace in Baku. I would say it wasn’t our weekend. We didn’t have the best rhythm during the race, quite slow. We were looking more in the rearview mirrors rather than attacking in front. We scored [points] with both cars, which is positive of course, but as I mentioned, it wasn’t the easiest race and I can’t wait to change certain things in Canada.
« We were fast yesterday, we got the yellow flag so we could have qualified higher but it didn’t happen and from where we started, I expected to make a comeback during the race and that was not at all the case. We were in more difficulty during the race than during the qualifications and that is where we need to analyze and come back better, » concludes Esteban Ocon.
These seven points scored on the streets of the Azerbaijani capital allow Alpine to regain 5th place from Alfa Romeo in the constructors’ standings. Ahead, McLaren is starting to pull away and now has an 18-point lead for 4th place.
