Alpine will not bring any improvements to Jeddah
The French team will not be improving their car for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Upgrades are planned starting from Melbourne, the third race of the season.
After a successful first Grand Prix, with both Ocon (P7) and Alonso (P9) finishing in the points, Alpine seems to have successfully adapted to the 2022 regulations. While the A522 may not be competing for the title, the French team can aim for the top of the midfield and strive for new moments of brilliance, like in Budapest last year.
The technical director of the team, Pat Fry, expressed his satisfaction with this first race weekend in an interview with Motorsport. It’s always good to finish the first race with both cars in the points and to be able to understand how the car performs during the race. We were able to see that it was reliable.
The Briton indicated that the Enstone team will not bring any improvements during the weekend in Jeddah. We have a solid foundation to work with. We will not have any significant upgrades. We will conduct tests during free practice. Since it is a low downforce circuit, the rear wing will be different.
The team has, however, planned changes for the third round of the season in Australia (Sunday, April 10th, 7:00 AM). We have a scheduled development plan and we are working hard to have it ready for Melbourne and beyond.
Alpine had encountered some technical issues during the free practice sessions of the Bahrain Grand Prix, where their new side pods had detached from Esteban Ocon’s car mid-session, causing a red flag. The French driver had to do qualifying and the race with his old side pods, unlike his teammate Fernando Alonso. The incident had not resulted in serious consequences for Ocon, who finished two places ahead of the Spaniard.
The Normand will benefit from this improved version of the pontoons in Jeddah, a track that was successful for him last year since he finished fourth after being narrowly beaten to the podium by Valtteri Bottas.
